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Jesus Rodriguez at New York Yankees Photo Day on February 18, 2025.
On Friday August 22, 2025 San Francisco Giants insider Susan Slusser reported San Francisco’s No. 16 prospect Jesus Rodriguez, acquired from the New York Yankees in the Camilo Doval trade, is on the Giants’ 40-man roster despite not being officially listed on it.
For all of you who’ve been asking about the Giants’ 40 man roster not adding up the last few weeks, I’ve figured it out – for some reason, new catcher Jesus Rodriguez has not been listed on it but the Giants tell me Rodriguez IS on the 40 man.
— Susan Slusser (@susanslusser) August 22, 2025
This is significant because it means Rodriguez is much more likely to make his MLB Debut with the Giants this season.
He is currently in AAA Sacramento, but given that the Giants can bring him up without needing to designate a player for assignment and clear a 40-man roster spot for him, the Giants can summon him whenever they want to give him his first shot in the big leagues without necessarily losing another player as a consequence.
The Giants would just need to option a player from their 26-man big league roster to AAA Sacramento to clear a spot for Rodriguez. Or, Rodriguez could be a September call-up for San Francisco when rosters expand to 28 players.
Rodriguez Could Solve A Huge Catching Problem for SF
The Giants’ return in the Camilo Doval trade was underwhelming, by and large. But Rodriguez was clearly the crown jewel of the deal for San Francisco.
That’s because he’s been an elite minor league hitter.
In 6 minor league seasons, Rodriguez has a whopping.306 career batting average.
By comparison, Giants catchers have hit .204 this season in total. The Giants have tried Patrick Bailey, Andrew Knizner, Sam Huff and Logan Porter behind the dish and none of them have hit.
Bailey remains an elite defender, but even he would admit the Giants need more offensive production from that position.
Rodriguez is not an elite power hitter by any means, and he has at times been criticized for a very aggressive approach at the plate. But he’s a very good contact hitter, produces great exit velocities and the Giants believe he can be solid enough behind the dish to catch full time.
Why delay his call-up any longer? If he needs to develop as a defender, what better way to learn than working with the best defensive catcher in the league in Bailey at the big league level?
The Giants don’t really have anything to lose. And watching Rodriguez would be much more interesting for Giants fans, and informative for Giants brass, than watching .170 hitter Knizner take at bats.
Whether it’s demoting another player or DFAing Knizner the Giants should make a move to bring up Rodriguez as soon as possible.
Other September Call-Up Options
If Giants fans see Rodriguez this season, more than likely it will be as a September call-up. Many teams will use the additional two roster spots to carry a third catcher in September, and the Giants have done that themselves before.
But who are the other candidates to receive a September call-up?
Every Giants fan wants to see top prospect Bryce Eldridge get his first crack at the MLB. Eldridge may face a tough path to a call-up given that he is not on the 40-man roster.
But, designating Knizner for assignment is a way the Giants could give both Rodriguez and Eldridge a chance.
The most likely candidates for a call-up are outfielders Marco Luciano and Wade Meckler, who have yet to get a shot with the Giants in 2025.
The Giants could also add Keaton Winn, who had a good brief stint with the Giants recently, back to the roster.
Giants fans, do you want to see them call-up Jesus Rodriguez? What other players deserve a September call-up?
Ethan Inman is a sports journalist covering the San Francisco 49ers, San Francisco Giants and Las Vegas Raiders for heavy.com. He also co-hosts a college football podcast for The Voice of College Football, and writes about the NBA and MLB. He has previously covered the USC Trojans, the NHL, college baseball, and the intersection of sports and popular culture for other publications. He is based in the greater Los Angeles area. More about Ethan Inman
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