The Atlanta Braves didn’t call up one of their veterans, and in his contract, he had a provision allowing him to opt out if he found a deal with a different major league team.
That’s what happened, and so the Braves are out of one piece of organizational depth.
Catcher James McCann, a former All Star, left Triple-A Gwinnett to sign with the Arizona Diamondbacks. He’ll be on their MLB roster with catcher Gabriel Moreno on the injured list.
McCann’s minor-league deal with the Braves included a rolling opt-out. If another club offered him a major-league job, the Braves needed to either promote him or allow him to depart.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) June 22, 2025
McCann turned 35 years old earlier in June.
His best years came during a five-year tenure with the Tigers and then his first season with the White Sox in 2019, when he made the All-Star Game.
He’s also played for the Mets and Orioles.
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McCann has played in 41 Triple-A games this season and performed very well. He has a .297 batting average with 11 doubles and six homers.
The Diamondbacks are in the extremely difficult NL West, but they also have a strong team, and it makes sense for them to snag McCann to fill an opening on their roster.
The Braves are set at catcher, at least right now, with the established Sean Murphy and the youthful Drake Baldwin.
But if there’s an injury now, Atlanta could be out of luck with no more McCann.
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