James McCann has won the backup catcher position with the Detroit Tigers, after Bryan Holaday was assigned to Triple-A Toledo.
The former Arkansas catcher will play behind starter Alex Avila, who hit .218 with 11 home runs last season.
"I think (McCann's) got ability to be a big-league starter at some point in his career," Detroit manager Brad Ausmus told MLive.com. "When that is, I'm not sure."
It will be the second trip to the big leagues for McCann, as his solid season in Triple-A resulted in a September call-up last year.
McCann was expected to compete with Holaday for the backup job, but his .371 batting average (13-for-35) this spring was much better than Holaday's .200 (5-for-25), entering Monday.
"We are trying to have the best baseball team we can," Ausmus told The Detroit News. "And I feel like McCann makes us a better team."
Before his call up, McCann batted .295, hit seven home runs and collected 54 RBIs in 109 games in Toledo.
In Detroit, he went 3-for-12 (.250) in his limited at bats, but he was praised for his defensive presence, as he caught former Cy Young Award winners David Price and Justin Verlander in his first - and only - two career starts.