SF Giants expect Patrick Bailey (oblique abdominal muscle) to be out only minimally

SAN FRANCISCO – The Giants suffered a major blow Tuesday when Patrick Bailey was placed on the injured list, but manager Bob Melvin was confident they won’t be without their starting catcher for long.

“It’s hard to say, but I’m pretty optimistic he should be ready on Day 10,” Melvin said after the Giants’ 4-1 win over the White Sox. “Based on what I’m hearing and how he’s feeling. We’ve been a little cautious on that one.”

Bailey underwent a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan on Tuesday, which revealed a strain of the right oblique abdominal muscle.

After being scratched Monday night but not yet undergoing imaging, Bailey told reporters that the injury felt “very, very minor” and that his absence was “more of a precautionary measure than anything else.”

He first felt problems in his right side after throwing some left-handed shots before Monday’s game.

“It wasn’t really a particular swing,” he said. “It just kind of tightened up at the end.”

Bailey, the Giants’ second most valuable player with 3.8 fWAR, is eligible for next Thursday’s final road game at Milwaukee, although a 10-day absence would be considered a quick recovery from an oblique strain of any severity. They often have a 4- to 6-week timeline.

“If you go out even one game too early and get injured again,” Melvin said, “it can take a long time.”

Although Bailey has been in a rut at the plate lately, his pitch-framing, play-calling and throwing skills have nonetheless made him one of the most valuable catchers in the sport. According to the Statcast metric, which measures throwing, blocking, framing, arm and runs against average, he has collected 19 fielding runs above average, more than double the next-best catchers, who have nine.

In the meantime, the Giants will hand the keys to veteran reliever Curt Casali, who has already contributed to four runs from the last spot in the lineup while leading a pitching staff that has allowed a total of four runs after being used the last two nights.

“(Bailey) is one of those guys that’s hard to replace,” Melvin said. “Even if he doesn’t swing the bat well, which he does behind the plate. And this year he’s hit in the middle of the order for us at times. But Curt is doing a good job right now. He’s on a bit of a roll right now. He knows these guys.”

When they placed Bailey on the 10-day IL, the Giants brought in Jakson Reetz from Triple-A Sacramento as their second catcher. But Casali said he expects to catch Logan Webb in Wednesday’s matinee. That would be the first time he starts three straight games since Sept. 18-20, 2022, after the Giants traded him to Seattle following his original tenure in San Francisco.

The majority of the work during Bailey’s absence will likely fall on the shoulders of the 35-year-old from Walnut Creek.