Ex-Red Sox Catcher Made Most Of Debut With NL Team: ‘Just Thankful’

Reese McGuire hadn’t suited up for a big league team since splitting catcher duties with Connor Wong on the Boston Red Sox, which set the eight-year veteran up for a long road ahead toward a return.

McGuire’s patience and hard work were both rewarded Sunday.

The Chicago Cubs, who signed McGuire to a one-year minor league deal this past offseason, needed some assistance. Chicago’s Miguel Amaya found himself on the 10-day injured list with an oblique strain, opening the door for McGuire’s latest opportunity to contribute to a club. McGuire wisely leaped at the chance to make a favorable first impression when thrust into the Cubs’ starting lineup.

McGuire went 2-for-5 at the plate with a pair of home runs, including a game-tying round-tripper in the eighth inning to assist the Cubs toward an 11-8 win over the Cincinnati Reds. It had been over a year since the 30-year-old journeyman went deep in an MLB game — on May 21 against the Tampa Bay Rays — and McGuire’s return left him filled with emotions at Great American Ball Park.

“I’m just thankful for this opportunity to be back here,” McGuire said, per Marquee Sports Network. “What a team to be a part of, and that was a fun game. I just worked really hard to get back here and I’m thankful for the opportunity. Teammates, we kept fighting all game. … I’ve been watching these guys on TV and watching them never give up, so it’s cool to be a part of that.”

The unexpected heroic call from McGuire helped him notch his first career multi-home run performance. It was a massive turnaround for McGuire, too, considering he was a third-string catcher entering spring training and the Cubs were ready to call it quits altogether with McGuire just a few days ago.

Chicago released McGuire nearly two weeks ago before assigning him to Triple-A Iowa. There, McGuire slashed .280/.360/.827 with three home runs and 19 RBIs across 22 games in the minor leagues.

“In Reese’s situation, maybe you feel like something’s slipping away and you’re asked to just keep going without any promise of an opportunity. And then probably, you know, when you least expect it, you get an opportunity and maybe have the game of your life,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said, per ESPN. “It’s the thing that makes all these players got to keep going because you don’t know when that day comes.”

McGuire proved he’s still capable of contributing at the big-league level, even on short notice — the Cubs didn’t inform McGuire he’d be starting until 90 minutes before first pitch.

The Cubs are just McGuire’s latest stop amid what’s been a rollercoaster journey through the big leagues, following stints with the Toronto Blue Jays, Red Sox and Chicago White Sox.