The Giants placed backup catcher on the injured list due to a knee sprain over the weekend but didnt provide a timetable for his return, as the veteran was headed for an MRI to determine the severity of the injury. Skipper Bob Melvin announced to the Giants beat today that imaging revealed a Grade 1 to 2 sprain. Murphy wont require surgery but is expected to be out of action for at least four to six weeks ( via Andrew Baggarly of The Athletic). The relatively lengthy absence for Murphy comes at a time when the Giants are also without starting catcher , whos on the injured list due to ongoing concu sion symptoms. San Francisco traded former No. 2 overall pick to the Pirates early this season because he was out of minor league options and the team didnt want to carry three catchers in the long term. Since that swap, both catchers ahead of him on the depth chart have gone down with injuries. The result is a catching corps consisting of former Rule 5 pick and recently promoted journeyman (who homered in his first game with the Giants yesterday). Murphy, 33, has gotten out to a dismal .118/.211/.235 start after signing a two-year, $8.3MM deal over the winter. Thats come in a sample of just 38 plate appearances, however, far too small to glean meaningful conclusions. In Dave Langevin Jersey 807 plate appearances with Seattle from 2019-23, Murphy batted .250/.324/.460 with 38 home runs. He was particularly dangerous against left-handed opponents, bashing them at a .287/.379/.539 clip. With both Bailey and Murphy on the shelf and Bart now in Pittsburgh, the Giants catching depth has quickly dried up. Sabol is in line for the lions share of playing time, but he hit just .235/.301/.394 last season with a 34% strikeout rate. He was hitting .243/.378/.324 in Triple-A Sacramento this season, again showing worrying contact i sues (30.8% strikeout rate). Reetz appeared in 15 games with Sacramento prior to his call-up and batted .217/.357/.435 in 57 plate appearances. Yesterdays home run came in his first big league at-bat since 2021 just the third MLB plate appearance of his career. Reetz is a career .234/.328/.478 hitter in parts of four Triple-A seasons. Its not a great update for the Giants, but Murphy avoided a worst-case scenario thatd have sidelined him for a much longer period. The Giants also provided a small update on reigning Cy Young winner on Monday, with Melvin telling the teams beat that the lefty pitched a bullpen se sion without i sue and is slated to pitch three innings in a simulated game against live hitters tomorrow ( via Shayna Rubin of the San Francisco Chronicle). Snell, who was rocked for an 11.57 ERA through his first three starts, hit the 15-day IL due to an adductor strain last week. Casey Cizikas Jersey