Rangers' Kyle Higashioka: Plays in second rehab game
Rotowire
Higashioka (ribs) played five innings at catcher and went 1-for-3 with a double in a rehab game with Triple-A Round Rock on Sunday.
Higashioka began a rehab assignment this weekend at Round Rock, initially getting five at-bats as the designated hitter Saturday before making his first start behind the plate Sunday. He'll likely come off the Rangers' 10-day injured list at some point during the upcoming week and will supplant Tucker Barnhart as the team's No. 2 catcher.
... See More... See Less
Rangers' Kyle Higashioka: Begins rehab assignment
Rotowire
Higashioka (ribs) will begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Round Rock on Saturday.
Higashioka has been sidelined since May 1 due to an intercostal strain. He won't return after the minimum 10 days as originally anticipated, but he should be back with the Rangers after a few games in the minors.
... See More... See Less
Rangers' Kyle Higashioka: Moves to IL
Rotowire
The Rangers placed Higashioka on the 10-day injured list Thursday due to a mild left intercostal strain.
Texas had previously indicated Wednesday that Higashioka was dealing with hamstring soreness, but after further evaluation, the veteran backstop was revealed to be dealing with an injury to the upper half of his body. Manager Bruce Bochy does not expect Higashioka to be sidelined beyond the minimum 10 days, Shawn McFarland of The Dallas Morning News reports. Higashioka had been working in a timeshare behind the plate with Jonah Heim for much of the season, but Heim should see the overwhelming share of starts at catcher while Higashioka is out.
Higashioka reported tightness in his hamstring and is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Athletics, Kennedi Landry of MLB.com reports.
The Rangers are going to hold off on placing Higashioka on the injured list for now, but he may need to be deactivated if his condition doesn't improve after a few days of rest. Tucker Barnhart was added to the active roster from Triple-A Round Rock on Wednesday to give Texas another option behind the plate while Higashioka recovers.
... See More... See Less
Rangers' Kyle Higashioka: Hits first homer of 2025
Rotowire
Higashioka went 2-for-3 with a two-run home run in Saturday's 4-3 win over the Dodgers.
Higashioka put the Rangers on the board in the third winning with a two-run shot off Roki Sasaki. It was Higashioka's first home run of 2025, and he's started the season slashing .278/.316/.444 with two walks, two runs scored and five RBI over 38 plate appearances this season.
... See More... See Less
Rangers' Kyle Higashioka: Taking seat Friday
Rotowire
Higashioka is absent from the lineup for Friday's game versus the Red Sox.
Higashioka was behind the dish for Thursday's opener and went 1-for-4 with an RBI double, but he will yield to Jonah Heim for the second game of the series. The catching duties for the Rangers are likely to be split fairly evenly between the two players this season.
... See More... See Less
Rangers' Kyle Higashioka: Homers twice Friday
Rotowire
Higashioka went 2-for-2 with two home runs and six RBI in Friday's spring game against the Cubs.
Higashioka belted a two-run homer in the second inning, produced a run on sacrifice fly in the fourth and then launched a three-run shot in the sixth. He blipped the fantasy radar in 2024 when the right-handed hitter knocked 17 home runs in 84 games for the Padres. The catcher's also drawn reviews this spring for his handling of the pitching staff, Shawn McFarland of the Dallas Morning News reports. The Rangers are expected to have a relatively even split behind the plate between Higashioka and Jonah Heim, who had some alarming drops in advanced metrics last season and is no stranger to second-half fades.
... See More... See Less
Rangers' Kyle Higashioka: Set to split time at catcher
Rotowire
Rangers general manager Ross Fenstermaker said Tuesday that Higashioka and Jonah Heim will split time at catcher in 2025, Jeff Wilson of AllDLLS.com reports.
Texas announced the signing of Higashioka to a two-year, $13.5 million contract on Monday. The 34-year-old is coming off the best offensive season of his career, having posted a .739 OPS with 17 home runs over 84 games with the Padres. Higashioka's 263 plate appearances in 2024 were a career high, but it sounds like he'll have a good shot to eclipse that total in 2025.
... See More... See Less
Rangers' Kyle Higashioka: Lands with Rangers
Rotowire
Higashioka signed a two-year, $13.5 million contract with Texas on Monday, which includes a $7 million mutual option for 2027.
Higashioka will add a veteran presence to the backstop position for Texas and is likely to share the workload with Jonah Heim, who struggled during the 2024 campaign. Higashioka is coming off one of his most productive seasons at the plate, swatting a career-high 17 home runs and recording 45 RBI in 84 games for the Padres.
... See More... See Less
Padres' Kyle Higashioka: Getting breather Sunday
Rotowire
Higashioka is absent from Sunday's lineup against Arizona.
Elias Diaz will be behind home plate and bat seventh in Sunday's regular-season finale. Unless he comes in to pinch hit, Higashioka will end the regular season having slashed .220/.263/.476 with 17 home runs and 45 RBI over 2673 plate appearances.
... See More... See Less
Padres' Kyle Higashioka: Breaks open game with homer
Rotowire
Higashioka went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Saturday's 5-0 win over the Diamondbacks.
Higashioka opened the scoring when he took A.J. Puk deep in the ninth inning. This was Higashioka's first homer in a month, and he's had a poor September, batting just .174 over 17 contests. For the season, the catcher has a .220/.263/.476 slash line with 17 homers, 45 RBI, 29 runs scored and two stolen bases over a career-high 263 plate appearances.
... See More... See Less
Padres' Kyle Higashioka: Sitting down Saturday
Rotowire
Higashioka isn't in the Padres' lineup for Saturday's game against the White Sox.
After going 0-for-9 over his last four games, Higashioka will give way to Elias Diaz behind the plate Saturday.
... See More... See Less
Padres' Kyle Higashioka: Exiting lineup Sunday
Rotowire
Higashioka is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Giants.
Higashioka will receive a breather in the series finale after he had started at catcher in four of the Padres' previous five games. Elias Diaz will step in behind the plate for San Diego.
... See More... See Less
Padres' Kyle Higashioka: Sitting down Thursday
Rotowire
Higashioka isn't in the Padres' lineup for Thursday's game against the Tigers, Jeff Sanders of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.
Higashioka will receive a second consecutive day to rest Thursday while Elias Diaz catches for Martin Perez and bats eighth.
... See More... See Less
Padres' Kyle Higashioka: Taking seat Wednesday
Rotowire
Higashioka isn't in the Padres' lineup for Wednesday's game against the Tigers.
After going 1-for-3 with a double and a run scored during Tuesday's win, Higashioka will give way to Luis Campusano behind the plate Wednesday.
... See More... See Less
Padres' Kyle Higashioka: On bench again Sunday
Rotowire
Higashioka (illness) is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Rays, Jeff Sanders of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.
Higashioka was scratched from the lineup Saturday due to flu-like symptoms, and he'll sit Sunday for a second straight game. Luis Campusano will receive another start behind the plate in the series finale.
... See More... See Less
Padres' Kyle Higashioka: Taking seat Friday
Rotowire
Higashioka is absent from the lineup for Friday's game in Tampa Bay.
He'll receive a day of rest after catching three of the previous four contests for the Padres. Luis Campusano will be behind the dish for the series opener versus the Rays.
... See More... See Less
Padres' Kyle Higashioka: Swats 16th homer
Rotowire
Higashioka went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Wednesday's 4-3 loss to the Cardinals.
Higashioka has two home runs over his last five games, and he's hit four long balls while batting .224 over 17 contests in August. The catcher is up to 16 homers in just 66 games this season. He's added a .228/.275/.518 slash line with 43 RBI, 26 runs scored and one stolen base over 212 plate appearances. Higashioka is likely to continue sharing the catching duties with Luis Campusano, though a hot stretch at the plate for either backstop could lead to a corresponding uptick in playing time.
... See More... See Less
Padres' Kyle Higashioka: Sitting Thursday
Rotowire
Higashioka isn't in the Padres' lineup for Thursday's game against the Mets.
Higashioka will get a chance to regroup Thursday after going 0-for-4 with four strikeouts during Wednesday's contest. Luis Campusano will instead catch for right-hander Dylan Cease and bat eighth.
... See More... See Less
Padres' Kyle Higashioka: Taking seat Saturday
Rotowire
Higashioka is out of the lineup for Saturday's game against the Rockies.
Higashioka has one hit in his last 14 at-bats and will get the night off Saturday to clear his head. In his place, Luis Campusano will catch and bat eighth.
