Giants catcher Buster Posey opts-out of the 2020 MLB season

Buster Posey won’t be behind the plate for the Giants this season.

For San Francisco Giants catcher Buster Posey, playing the 2020 season was an intensely personal decision. His heart wasn’t on the field when he reported to summer camp last weekend, but in a NICU unit where two twin girls, born premature, that he and his wife just adopted are currently receiving treatment.

Playing for the Giants this year would mean staying away from his family. He has decided it just wasn’t worth the sacrifice. So on Friday, Posey alerted the Giants that he’s opting out of the season to be there for his family.

Posey joined the Giants for the opening of camp and went through drills, but even then he had doubts he would play this year. “I think there’s still some reservation on my end as well. I think I want to see kind of how things progress here over the next couple of weeks,” he said. “Obviously it’s unprecedented times right now. Most definitely I’ve thought about opting out and talked about it with my wife quite a bit.”

Posey was absent from camp the past three days, dealing with what the club called a personal issue. He made it official on Friday, becoming the 10th player to opt-out this season.

Can the Giants score enough runs without Buster Posey?

He joins a list that already includes Dodgers pitcher David Price and the Nationals’ Ryan Zimmerman. But Posey is arguably the biggest name to announce he’s skipping the season. The 33-year-old and former National League MVP is the Giants all-time leader among catchers in games played, home runs, and RBI. The Giants have won three World Series titles over the past decade with Posey behind the plate. He appeared in 114 games last season, hitting .257 with seven home runs and 38 RBI.

The Giants are entering their first season under manager Gabe Kapler following the retirement of Bruce Bochy. The club finished 77-85 in 2019 and missed the playoffs for the third straight season. Posey was going to play a big part if the Giants hoped for a rebound this season, but the club released a statement lending its support to his decision to stay home with his family.

“The Giants fully support Buster’s decision,” the statement reads. “Buster is an integral part of our team and will be sorely missed, but we look forward to having him back in 2021.”

In Posey’s absence, the other two catchers on the Giants’ depth chart are Aramis Garcia and top prospect Joey Bart, a 23-year-old rookie and former No. 2 overall pick. Garcia has just 37 games of big-league experience, while Bart has never played above Double-A.

Posey’s decision, though, wasn’t about how it would affect his club. It will hurt leaving his teammates to play without him, but he’s made the determination that his family is more important. That’s something anyone can sympathize with.