James

McCann

McCann can earn another $500,000 in incentives. The 35-year-old will be the backup backstop to Gabriel Moreno in 2026.

The 35-year-old lefty masher will also have the ability to earn an additional $500,000 in incentives. The D’Backs don’t currently have a spot open on their 40-man roster, so look for them to officially announce the signing on Friday evening after the non-tender deadline.

McCann’s homer was his fourth in 109 plate appearances this season. After failing to command the salary he thought he deserved as a free agent and spending the first 2 1/2 months of the season in the minors, he’s been a perfectly fine backup for the Diamondbacks. He should be some team’s No. 2 catcher on Opening Day next year.

McCann singled off of Lucas Giolito in the second inning and scored on an error by Red Sox’ shortstop Trevor Story. He also led off the fourth inning with a single and came all the way around to score on a two-out RBI single off the bat of Jake McCarthy. The 35-year-old backstop has done a nice job in his limited action this season, slashing .256/.333/.400 with three homers and nine RBI in his first 102 plate appearances.

No word yet on the reason for the late swap, but the Diamondbacks put out an initial lineup with McCann in it and then replaced him with Gabriel Moreno in a revised version of the lineup a bit later. If there’s anything wrong with McCann, D’Backs’ skipper Torey Lovullo should give an explanation after the game.

The 35-year-old backstop reached on an infield single in the second inning and scored on a two-out RBI single by Ketel Marte. McCann then delivered a two-run single during the Diamondbacks’ eight-run rally in the fifth inning and scored on an RBI single by Corbin Carroll. With his two-hit attack, McCann is now slashing .254/.365/.381 with two homers and seven RBI in his first 74 plate appearances with the Diamondbacks.

McCann provides Arizona with a more experienced veteran backup while Gabriel Moreno is on the injured list recovering from a fractured finger. The 35-year-old veteran got into 65 games last year for the Orioles in a backup role and has appeared in 917 big-league contests since 2014. He’ll split the catching duties for the Diamondbacks with Jose Herrera for the next couple weeks.

The 35-year-old backstop exercised the opt-out clause in his minor league deal with the Braves after hitting .305/.341/.510 with six homers and 32 RBI in 164 plate appearances at the minor league level. He’ll help share the load behind the plate for the Diamondbacks with Jose Herrera now that Gabriel Moreno (hand) is shelved.

McCann’s arrival provides Atlanta fans with the opportunity to break out those vintage Brian McCann shirseys again. He’ll serve as an emergency catching option behind top prospect Drake Baldwin and backup Chadwick Tromp while Sean Murphy is on the shelf recovering from a rib injury. The 34-year-old veteran backstop slashed .234/.279/.388 with eight homers in 233 plate appearances over 65 games last year for the Orioles in a backup role.

O’Hearn took a seat to begin Tuesday’s loss to the Royals with southpaw Cole Ragans on the mound, but he’s in the middle of the Baltimore lineup in a must-win game for the O’s against right-hander Seth Lugo. James McCann is out of the lineup with Adley Rutschman resuming catching duties. The full lineup for the Orioles: Gunnar Henderson SS, Jordan Westburg 2B, Anthony Santander RF, Colton Cowser LF, Rutschman C, O’Hearn DH, Ryan Mountcastle 1B, Cedric Mullins CF and Ramon Urias at third.