SF Giants place Belt on bereavement list, activate catcher as Posey deals with knee issue

QUEENS, N.Y. — Giants first baseman Brandon Belt is headed home to Texas to attend services for his grandmother, Margaret Peterson.

The Giants placed Belt on the bereavement list Thursday after Peterson died on Tuesday, hours before Belt hit a pair of home runs against the Mets and dedicated the remainder of the 2021 season to her.

Belt said he was close with his grandmother, who helped pay for him to attend prospect showcases in his youth and passed out autographed cards featuring Belt to her friends.

The club used the free roster spot to activate catcher Chadwick Tromp, who traveled to New York on Wednesday after Buster Posey exited Tuesday’s game with left knee soreness. Posey is not in the starting lineup Thursday for the second consecutive day as backup Curt Casali is set to catch starter Alex Wood, but the Giants do not believe Posey will need an injured list placement.

The Giants also activated utility man Thairo Estrada after placing Donovan Solano on the COVID-19 injured list after manager Gabe Kapler confirmed Solano tested positive for the coronavirus.

Kapler said postgame on Thursday that assistant hitting coach Justin Viele was determined to be a close contact of Solano’s, so despite testing negative, Viele will also have to enter quarantine.

Kapler declined to provide details when asked if Solano’s case was considered a “breakthrough.” The Giants have touted their high vaccination rate as a point of pride, but not every member of the team’s traveling party received a COVID-19 vaccine.

Right-handed hitting infielder Wilmer Flores is starting in Belt’s place on Thursday against Mets right-hander Carlos Carrasco and will likely see consecutive starts in Atlanta this weekend against Braves lefties Max Fried and Drew Smyly.

Tromp’s stay on the active roster could be short as the Giants are planning to activate starter Kevin Gausman from the COVID-19 injured list to start Friday’s game against the Braves. Gausman was placed on the injured list earlier this week after receiving a vaccine booster shot.

To activate Gausman, the Giants must clear a space on the 40-man roster.