Reese

McGuire

McGuire lost his grip on the Red Sox’ backup catcher’s job after they acquired Danny Jansen from the Blue Jays just before the trade deadline. He’ll continue to function as extra depth at the Triple-A level, but it’s going to take an injury to Jansen or Connor Wong most likely for him to earn another shot at the big-league level.

McGuire is off the active roster and the 40-man after the Red Sox acquired Danny Jensen to take his place. McGuire will likely see interest on the waiver wire because of his positional value, so it wouldn’t be a surprise to see another team trade for the backstop or claim him before the deadline.

Anderson and Reese McGuire were designated for assignment to make room for the recently-acquired James Paxton and Danny Jensen. Anderson made 27 appearances for Boston with a 4.85 ERA over 52 innings with a 35/19 K/BB. He’s now on the waiver wire, and he can elect free agency if he goes unclaimed or isn’t traded He can also report back to Triple-A if not released.

Wong will sit for a second consecutive game to end the first half of the campaign. Reese McGuire will hit eighth and handle catching duties against Brady Singer and Kansas City while Wong gets another breather.

The 27-year-old backstop entered the season as the presumed starting catcher for the Red Sox, but he has drawn just three starts through the team’s first eight ballgames. It’ll be Reese McGuire starting behind the plate and batting ninth for the Red Sox once again on Friday night against Griffin Canning and the Halos.

McGuire posted a solid batting average in a brief run as the Red Sox starting catcher before finishing the year as the back-up. In 72 games he slashed .267/.310/.358 with one home run and two steals. He figures to enter the year in a battle with Roberto Perez for the right to back-up Connor Wong.

McGuire is absent from the Red Sox’ starting lineup after suffering a left thumb contusion during pregame warmups on Tuesday night, but will be available off the bench on Wednesday night, if needed.

McGuire suffered the injury while warming up Tanner Houck in between innings, a pitch in the dirt caught him directly on the left thumb. He’ll likely head for X-rays to see if he’s dealing with any fractures. Look for the Red Sox to update his status when possible.

McGuire made an immediate impact in his return to Boston’s lineup, padding their early lead with a fourth-inning sacrifice fly before belting a solo homer off Mariners starter Bryce Miller in the sixth inning for his first homer of the year.

The 28-year-old has been shelved since mid-June due to a strained right oblique. Prior to landing on the injured list, McGuire was hitting .267/.313/.352 with zero homers and 11 RBI in 116 plate appearances. He’ll work in tandem with Connor Wong behind the plate for the Red Sox.