Veteran Catcher Was Major Part of D-backs' Late-2025 Surge

This was a bright spot for Arizona.

Aug 24, 2025; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks catcher James McCann against the Cincinnati Reds at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

The Arizona Diamondbacks' 2025 season certainly did not live up to expectations. Injuries and underperformances plagued a team that entered the year with high hopes.

But in the wake of some of said injuries came a fair share of positive developments. One such development was the mid-season addition of veteran backup catcher James McCann, who quickly became an integral part of Arizona's late-season surge.

As Arizona Diamondbacks On SI continues to break down the individual seasons of every player that contributed to the 2025 D-backs roster, the below article will be updated with the proper links to every season review as they are published.

Related Content: Breaking Down Every Diamondbacks Player's 2025 Season

Arizona Diamondbacks 2025 Player Review: James McCann

Arizona Diamondbacks James McCann 2025 and career stats | Alex D'Agostino.

McCann began the 2025 season with the Atlanta Braves' Triple-A club. But when the D-backs lost Gabriel Moreno to a hand injury in late June, ace Corbin Burnes — who had worked with McCann in Baltimore — nudged Arizona's front office in the veteran's direction.

Related Content: How D-backs Signed James McCann

The D-backs pulled the trigger, signing McCann to a major league deal on June 23. He immediately began sharing time with Jose Herrera, and put forward some decent production with his bat. He slashed .256/.383/.436 in July, but it was his value behind the plate (and in the clubhouse) that stood out the most about McCann.

McCann was an important veteran presence on a roster that became increasingly younger as the year progressed. Arizona's struggling pitching staff also began to display better results with McCann calling games.

"You could probably target the day he got here and take a look at our ERA and do some of the reverse math on your own. I know it's been very good since he's gotten here," manager Torey Lovullo said of McCann,

"I think he's had a strong input as to the success that we've had overall as a pitching staff. I think we've climbed from 29th up to somewhere in the low 20s."

That earned McCann more than just an injury-replacement role. When Moreno returned, the D-backs opted to stick with McCann over Herrera, and even began to hand McCann a larger share of starts behind home plate.

James McCann: 2026 Outlook

McCann may be in line for a bit of an offensive regression, given the fact that the 35-year-old posted his best season since 2020. But his intellect and impact on the D-backs' pitchers will remain an asset. One of Arizona's first moves this offseason was to re-sign him to a one-year deal. Barring injury or severe underperformance, he should retain a prominent role.