McCann started at catcher in his major-league debut Saturday against the Guardians, going 0-for-2 with a bases-loaded walk, another base on balls and a run in the 12-3 loss.
McCann's patience with the bases loaded in the third inning paid off, as his free pass brought home Zack Gelof to snap a 2-2 tie and give Oakland what would be its final run of the day. The rookie backstop will need to curb his bloated strikeout rate significantly to have long-term success against big-league arms, but he did combine those poor contact rates in the minors with double-digit walk rates in all but his 2023 stint at Triple-A Las Vegas (9.8 percent). McCann is slated to spell Shea Langeliers behind the dish on occasion for the foreseeable future after beating out Carlos Perez for the No. 2 job this spring.
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Athletics' Kyle McCann: Will make MLB debut Saturday
Rotowire
McCann will start at catcher and bat seventh in Saturday's game against the Guardians.
McCann won the No. 2 catcher job behind Shea Langeliers after the Athletics optioned Tyler Soderstrom to Triple-A Las Vegas. While McCann struggled in spring training, he finished the 2023 season slashing .270/.351/.474 with 17 home runs and 57 RBI over 388 plate appearances in Triple-A. He'll get his first taste of major-league action against Guardians right-hander Tanner Bibee.
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Athletics' Kyle McCann: Contract selected by Oakland
Rotowire
The Athletics selected McCann's contract from Triple-A Las Vegas on Thursday.
McCann won the backup catcher job as the Athletics elected to send Tyler Soderstrom to Las Vegas. McCann likely won't play much behind Shea Langeliers.
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Athletics' Kyle McCann: Has chance to win No. 2 job
Rotowire
McCann has an opportunity secure the No. 2 catcher job behind Shea Langeliers in the wake of Tyler Soderstrom's demotion to Triple-A Las Vegas, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.
McCann was a fourth-round pick in the 2019 First-Year Player Draft, and he's steadily ascended in the organizational ranks since that point. The 26-year-old spent the entirety of the 2023 season with Las Vegas, producing a solid .270/.351/.474 slash line with 35 extra-base hits and 57 RBI across 97 games. McCann hasn't been anywhere near as successful this spring -- he sports a .211 average across 23 Cactus League plate appearances -- but manager Mark Kotsay implies McCann remains in contention with veteran Carlos Perez for the No. 2 job and has complimented McCann for "continuing to grow and make improvements to challenge for that opportunity."
