Steve

Holm

Holm, 32, batted .118/.167/.176 in a cup of coffee (18 plate appearances) with the Twins last season. He’ll function as organizational catching depth for the Rox.

Holm, 32, was hitting .135 (5-for-37) with the Marlins’ Triple-A affiliate. He’ll attempt to latch on elsewhere.

The move was made to make room for minor league hitting phenom Jesus Guzman. Oddly, the move leaves the Giants with no backup catcher, meaning it’s likely a short-term move just for the weekend series against the Mariners. Third baseman Pablo Sandoval is now the emergency catcher.

The Giants needed a roster spot for Matt Downs, who has been called on to supply depth in the San Francisco bullpen. Holm is stuck behind a group of catchers on the Giants’ organizational depth chart, so perhaps a change of scenery will help his career in the long run.

The Giants will go with Pedro Sandoval as their backup catcher and six outfielders. Holm will be available at Fresno if they decide to switch directions again.

Paulino qualifies as an upgrade from Steve Holm, but he’s hardly an ideal fit for the Giants. Both he and Bengie Molina have been far much better against lefties than righties over the course of their career. Paulino’s splits are about as extreme as they come, as he’s hit .355/.417/.498 in 259 career at-bats against lefties and .252/.301/.343 versus righties. Odds are that Paulino will be the backup on Opening Day, though we wouldn’t call it a given just yet. Paulino only makes the minimum, so there’s no financial incentive to carry him.

Bringing up Holm will allow Pablo Sandoval to put his total focus into the third base position. He had been acting as the backup catcher and is even set to start Wednesday night.

Holm was hitting .214/.321/.357 in 70 at-bats as Bengie Molina’s backup. The Giants are turning to Elizer Alfonzo hoping to get a little more offense.

Holm has hit .256/.351/.390 in 82 at-bats for San Francisco this year. He’ll be the third catcher behind Bengie Molina and Pablo Sandoval.

Holm has seen limited action since re-joining the Giants in July, but he managed to go 6-for-12. Still, he’s not a long-term answer, and the team wants to take a look at Pablo Sandoval.