Oakland A’s place Josh Phegley on disabled list, call up Matt McBride

Oakland Athletics catcher Josh Phegley has a right knee strain and is returning to the disabled list, the A’s announced today. The team called up catcher/first baseman/outfielder Matt McBride in his place. After Saturday’s game, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reported that Phegley was going on the disabled list when the sore knee that previously put him on the DL “began bothering him again on Saturday morning.” Phegley had received a cortisone shot at the time to relieve the pain.

Phegley can be re-activated on July 17, which is the third game after the All-Star break, and could miss as few as 11 games, including Saturday’s contest.

Matt McBride will be behind the plate to catch Daniel Mengden and will bat eighth against left-handed Pirates starter Francisco Liriano. The 31-year-old McBride is 4-for-18 with a double and a walk in the major leagues this year, and hitting .250/.327/.432 with Triple-A Nashville. In his last 23 games for the Sounds, McBride is hitting .306/.385/.541 with four home runs, 10 walks, and 17 strikeouts in 96 plate appearances.