Giants promote catcher Andrew Knapp before series with Phillies

Former Phillies catcher Andrew Knapp and manager Gabe Kapler are reunited.

Former Philadelphia Phillies manager Gabe Kapler will not be the only familiar face interim manager Rob Thomson’s team will encounter in this weekend’s three-game series against the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park.

Wednesday afternoon, the National League West club — who trails 9 1/2 games for the final National League Wild Card spot — promoted catcher Andrew Knapp to the major leagues, reports NBC Sports Bay Area’s Alex Pavlovic.

Knapp will serve as big-league catching depth behind Austin Wynns for the Giants — who recently placed fellow catcher Joey Bart on the seven-day concussion injured list after he took a hard foul tip off his mask on Monday. Knapp reunites with Kapler, after previously playing two seasons under him in 2018 and 2019 — before the skipper was replaced by 2009 World Series champion Joe Girardi.

To clear room on the 40-man roster, the Giants designated left-hander Andrew Vasquez for assignment. Coincidentally, the Giants claimed Vasquez off waivers from the Phillies earlier in the month.

A 30-year-old switch-hitter, Knapp was drafted in the second round of the 2013 draft by the Phillies. He would go on to play five seasons as the organization’s backup catcher from 2017 to 2021 — slashing .214/.314/.322 with 30 doubles, four triples, 13 home runs, and 62 RBI spanning 309 games and 827 plate appearances in red pinstripes.

If Knapp appears in a game this weekend against the Phillies, the Kapler-led Giants will be the third team he has played for in the majors this season. Knapp previously played 11 games for the Pittsburgh Pirates and a pair of games for the Seattle Mariners — logging just four hits, two RBI, three walks, and 12 strikeouts spanning 39 combined plate appearances.

Knapp’s promotion follows an impressive 25-game stretch with the Giants’ Triple-A Sacramento River Cats affiliate. Spanning 102 plate appearances, he slashed .312/.373/.634 with six doubles, eight home runs, and 25 RBI. A California native, Knapp grew up a Giants fan.

The Phillies opting to go with Garrett Stubbs as their backup catcher in 2022 — instead of Knapp — has proved to be one of the organization’s better roster decisions in recent seasons. Through 38 games and 100 plate appearances, Stubbs is slashing .284/.364/.511 with nine extra-base hits and 14 RBI.

It will be interesting to see if Knapp faces his former team this weekend. If he does, we totally expect a career-best performance out of him.