It’s easy now to forget that Stephen Vogt didn’t start the 2019 season on the San Francisco Giants roster.
After trying out several veteran options during spring training, the team broke camp with Erik Kratz filling the backup catcher role, while Vogt reported to Triple-A Sacramento.
It made sense to send the two-time All-Star to the minors to start the year as he continued to shake off the rust from a 2018 season that was lost to shoulder surgery.
With Kratz not producing and Vogt hitting .241/.389/.500 with four home runs in 18 games in the minors, it didn’t take long for the team to make the switch.