Murphy's status up in air as balky back sidelines catcher

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- The Giants¡¯ first injury concern of the spring cropped up on Sunday, when manager Bob Melvin said backup catcher Tom Murphy was due to undergo an MRI exam after he experienced back spasms during the first week of camp.

Melvin said Murphy felt his back tighten up on the first day of workouts for pitchers and catchers on Wednesday, which has prevented the 33-year-old from taking the field in recent days. The results of Murphy's MRI will give San Francisco a better sense of his outlook, but the back issue is a bit concerning given his lengthy injury history.

Murphy was expected to back up Patrick Bailey after joining the Giants on a two-year, $8.25 million contract in December 2023, but he appeared in only 13 games in 2024 after sustaining a season-ending left knee injury on May 4. He described last season as ¡°probably the hardest of my career,¡± as the sprained ligament in his knee took longer to heal than expected and relegated him to months of rehab.

¡°I didn¡¯t handle it very well,¡± Murphy said last week. ¡°I don¡¯t know how to handle those situations. You get your livelihood taken away from you, the things that you enjoy doing. I¡¯m an active person. You get that kind of taken away from you. A lot of the things that make you you kind of get taken away, and I did not handle it well. It was not easy. Thankfully, going home kind of recharged me. I felt that kind of reset. I¡¯m in a good place now.¡±

The Giants targeted Murphy because of his track record of production against left-handed pitching (.822 career OPS), but he¡¯s had trouble staying on the field and has appeared in only 74 games across the past three seasons. He¡¯ll have to get back to full health to keep his hold on the No. 2 catching spot, especially since San Francisco has a few other options in camp to step in and provide depth behind Bailey if needed.

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With Curt Casali and Blake Sabol no longer in the mix, the Giants brought in a trio of newcomers by claiming Sam Huff off waivers from the Rangers and signing Max Stassi and Logan Porter to Minor League contracts over the offseason.

Huff, 27, has the benefit of already being on the 40-man roster, but he¡¯s out of options, meaning San Francisco couldn't send him to the Minors without first exposing him to waivers. A former Top 100 prospect, Huff slugged 10 homers over 78 games with the Rangers, but he¡¯s struggled to make consistent contact and has struck out in 72 of his 214 career plate appearances (34%) in the Majors.

The most seasoned member of the bunch is Stassi, who has 10 years of big league experience with the Astros and Angels. Stassi, who turns 34 next month, is coming off left hip surgery and hasn¡¯t played in the Majors since 2022, but he¡¯s healthy now and still has a reputation as a strong defender.

¡°Max was a guy that drove me crazy on the other side,¡± Melvin said. ¡°He was one of the original framers that was really good at that. He¡¯s had some injury stuff, hip stuff and so forth, which is tough on a catcher. But he¡¯s fully healthy now. He¡¯s a full go. And he still really has soft hands. You kind of determine what you look for in a second catcher. He¡¯s more defensive-based and looks really good catching the ball right now. Kind of a little bit out of the Curt mold.

"Last year, we lost both of our catchers early in the season. You need depth at that position, too. With Huff as well, we feel like we have a pretty good group.¡±