The Royals introduced by way of their participant improvement account on X that they’ve traded catcher Logan Porter to the Giants for money concerns or a participant to be named later. Porter was not on the Royals’ 40-man roster and gained’t must be added to that of the Giants.
Porter, now 28, has a small quantity of main league expertise. He obtained into 11 video games for the Royals final yr whereas each Salvador Perez and Freddy Fermin have been battling accidents. Porter hit simply .194/.324/.323 in his 38 plate appearances. He was non-tendered after the season and re-signed on a minor league deal.
He has typically carried out properly within the minor leagues however slumped final yr, although he now appears to be again in good type right here in 2024. From 2018 to 2022, he hit .293/.428/.497 throughout varied minor league ranges, drawing walks 16.6% of the time whereas being struck out at only a 21.9% price.
Final yr, his batting line fell to .232/.339/.377 in 110 Triple-A contests, however he’s cranked that as much as .319/.428/.575 in 32 video games this yr. He isn’t going to keep up a .400 batting common on balls in play endlessly however he has six dwelling runs and is drawing walks at a 15.9% clip. His total manufacturing this yr interprets to a 157 wRC+, indicating he’s been 57% above league common.
Porter would have had a tough time making it again to the majors with the Royals this yr, with Fermin and Perez wholesome. The membership additionally has Austin Nola on the 40-man roster and on non-compulsory project, in addition to having Brian O’Keefe round as non-roster depth. It appears they determined to offer Porter a path to taking part in time elsewhere whereas maybe pocketing a bit of money.
For the Giants, they’ve been taking part in a little bit of musical chairs on the catcher place this yr. Offseason signee Tom Murphy has a big knee sprain and an unsure future. It was about six weeks in the past {that a} timeline of 4 to 6 weeks was offered however there hasn’t been an replace since then and he hasn’t began a rehab project. Patrick Bailey missed a while on the concussion injured listing however has been again for about three weeks now. Curt Casali has changed Murphy as Bailey’s backup however is hitting simply .161/.297/.161 this yr. Blake Sabol is on non-compulsory project however performs different positions. Jakson Reetz obtained a short look whereas each Bailey and Murphy have been damage however has since been faraway from the 40-man.
There are a variety of transferring elements in that group nevertheless it’s potential Porter would be the subsequent man up if there’s an harm or if Casali retains struggling. If Porter will get a roster spot, he has a full slate of choices and gained’t be capable to get to one-year of service time this yr.
