McCann got into 54 games last year for the Athletics as a rookie, batting .236/.318/.371 with five homers and 15 RBI in 157 plate appearances. The 27-year-old backstop played sparingly this spring in Cactus League action and will search for a new opportunity elsewhere with Shea Langeliers and Jhonny Pereda handling the catching duties for the Athletics.

McCann went unclaimed on waivers after being designated for assignment last week. The 27-year-old backstop got into 54 contests last season for the Athletics in his first taste of the majors and will open next year back at Triple-A Las Vegas as extra depth behind Shea Langeliers and Jhonny Pereda.

Despite having the same surname as Brian and James McCann — backstops who have both mashed at the big league level — Kyle has yet to carve out a regular role for himself there. He performed decently in limited action in 2024 — slashing .236/.318/.371 with five homers and 15 RBI in 157 plate appearances, but the A’s deemed him expendable after acquiring Jhonny Pereda from the Marlins on Thursday. There’s a chance he could garner some interest on waivers.

McCann got the start behind the plate with regular catcher Shea Langeliers getting the night off. He took Hunter Brown deep for a two-run shot in the sixth inning to pull the A’s ahead of the Astros on Wednesday. McCann was later hit by a pitch in the eighth. The 26-year-old backstop is hitting .250/.333/.398 with five homers and 15 RBI across 144 plate appearances.