Reese McGuire to begin rehab assignment on Tuesday

Red Sox Reese McGuire will start his rehab assignment on Tuesday in Triple-A Worcester. Gerald Herbert

Red Sox catcher Reese McGuire will begin a rehab assignment at Triple-A Worcester on Tuesday, as first reported by Mike Monaco of NESN.

McGuire suffered a right oblique strain in Boston’s 5-4 loss against the Minnesota Twins on June 21. He has been on the IL ever since, and his spot on the depth chart is currently filled by Jorge Alfaro. McGuire resumed baseball activities on July 6 and is almost ready for a return to the big-league diamond.

The Red Sox traded for McGuire during last year’s trade deadline, sending reliever Jake Diekman to the Chicago White Sox. In the 36 games he played in Boston last season, he proved his value with stats of .337/.377/.500 and an OPS+ of 140, while replacing Christian Vazquez as the team’s primary catcher. Because of those numbers, he’s the only major leaguer Boston acquired at the deadline who is still with the Red Sox.

This season, McGuire’s numbers have regressed to the mean. He has been serviceable in the 40 games he has played this season, with stats of .267/.313/.352 and 11 RBIs. But his decline and the emergence of Connor Wong as a genuine big-league catcher have relegated McGuire to backup catcher.

McGuire will be in Worcester’s lineup alongside Trevor Story for Tuesday’s game against Rochester at 6:45 p.m. This will be the first of a six-game home series against Rochester, and the first baseball game McGuire will play in since his oblique injury. 

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