Huff was optioned to Triple-A Round Rock by the Rangers on Sunday.
Huff comes up short in his bid to be a bench option for the Rangers to open the season. The 24-year-old isn't long removed from being considered one of the better catching prospects in baseball, and he should get regular at-bats with Round Rock with a chance to help Texas before the end of 2023.
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Rangers' Sam Huff: Returns to action Monday
Rotowire
Huff (shoulder) caught two innings and drew a walk in his lone plate appearance in Monday's 4-1 loss to the Rockies in Cactus League play.
Huff returned to action for the first time since last Wednesday, when he sustained a right shoulder injury in a game against the Padres. The Rangers never expressed much concern about the condition of Huff's shoulder, and his ability to check back in behind the plate less than a week later suggests he'll be ready to go for the start of the regular season.
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Rangers' Sam Huff: Unconcerned about injury
Rotowire
Huff said Thursday that the right shoulder injury which forced him to exit Wednesday's Cactus League game against the Padres felt more like a cramp, Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reports.
Huff's removal from the contest was initially attributed to right shoulder tightness, but if the injury is more in the vein of a cramp, he'll likely be ready to play in a few days. The 25-year-old is projected to begin the season in the minors unless the Rangers wind up carrying three catchers on the Opening Day roster.
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Rangers' Sam Huff: Leaves with shoulder tightness
Rotowire
Huff left Wednesday's Cactus League game against the Padres with right shoulder tightness, Kennedi Landry of MLB.com reports.
Huff played just one inning before giving way to Cody Freeman in the split-squad contest. The backstop will be re-evaluated on Thursday. Huff has flashed tremendous power in the minors and some brief samples in the majors, but has battled injuries over the past two-plus seasons. Further clarity on his status going forward should be available in the coming days.
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Rangers' Sam Huff: Knocks fourth homer
Rotowire
Huff went 2-for-4 with a solo home run and a walk in Thursday's 10-9 extra-innings loss to the Mariners.
Huff has homered twice in his last three games, and he's up to four long balls on the year. The 24-year-old has gone 8-for-35 (.229 average) since he rejoined the Rangers on Sept. 5. He's slashing .250/.311/.384 with 10 RBI, eight runs scored and a stolen base through 122 plate appearances this season.
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Rangers' Sam Huff: Slugs homer in loss
Rotowire
Huff started at catcher and went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in Saturday's 4-2 loss to Cleveland.
Huff was the catcher du jour after sitting the previous two games. Jonah Heim and Kevin Plawecki made starts before Huff returned to the lineup. Since being called up in September, Huff is batting .207 (6-for-29) with two homers, one double, two walks, four RBI and two runs scored while striking out 32.3 percent of the time.
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Rangers' Sam Huff: Doubles in win
Rotowire
Huff went 1-for-4 with a double in Tuesday's 8-7 win over the Athletics.
Huff is in a full-on job share with the switch-hitting Jonah Heim behind the plate, though it isn't based on the handedness of the opposing starter. Huff's started five of the last eight games since being called up. He has just three hits over 18 at-bats, but Heim has been fighting it at the plate since mid-August.
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Rangers' Sam Huff: Blasts second homer of season
Rotowire
Huff went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Saturday's loss to Toronto.
Huff homered off righty starter Kevin Gausman with one out in the sixth to cut the Rangers' deficit to six. Huff has now started three of Texas' last four games after sitting out initially following his Sept. 7 call-up. The 24-year-old's last extra-base hit prior to Saturday came June 1 when he hit a double and a home run against Tampa Bay.
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Rangers' Sam Huff: Makes second straight start
Rotowire
Huff went 0-for-4 in Wednesday's 4-3 loss to Houston.
Huff started a second consecutive game at catcher, as primary backstop Jonah Heim has slumped the last month. After allowing five stolen bases in Tuesday's win over the Astros, Huff was tested just once Wednesday and threw out Christian Vazquez. For the season, Huff has caught just two of 22 attempted stealers.
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Rangers' Sam Huff: Recalled Monday
Rotowire
Huff was recalled from Triple-A Round Rock on Monday.
Huff appeared in 30 major-league games earlier in the year and hit .260 with a homer, five runs, five RBI and a stolen base. He was sent down in mid-July but will provide depth behind the dish for the Rangers after Meibrys Viloria was optioned to Round Rock on Monday.
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Rangers' Sam Huff: Sent to Triple-A
Rotowire
The Rangers optioned Huff to Triple-A Round Rock on Sunday.
Huff hadn't been receiving much playing time of late as one of three catchers on the active roster and as a reserve first baseman/designated hitter, so the Rangers will send him back to Triple-A to see regular at-bats. Utility man Nick Solak was summoned from Round Rock to replace Huff on the active roster.
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Rangers' Sam Huff: Returns to majors
Rotowire
The Rangers recalled Huff from Triple-A Round Rock on Monday, Levi Weaver of The Athletic reports.
Huff becomes one of three catchers on the Rangers' 26-man active roster, joining Jonah Heim and Meibrys Viloria. While Heim is locked in as the Rangers' No. 1 backstop and should play on a near-everyday basis, the righty-hitting Huff could get the chance to handle a short-side platoon role at designated hitter after Mitch Garver (forearm) was moved to the 60-day injured list upon undergoing season-ending surgery. The lefty-hitting Brad Miller is expected to get the first crack at replacing Garver in the lineup, though Miller likely won't be included in the lineup versus southpaws.
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Rangers' Sam Huff: Headed back to minors
Rotowire
The Rangers optioned Huff to Triple-A Round Rock on Tuesday.
While serving as the Rangers' backup catcher and as a depth option at first base and designated hitter, Huff had started in only three of the Rangers' last nine games. With top DH Mitch Garver (illness) returning from the COVID-19-related injured list Tuesday, Huff's opportunities were likely to grow scarcer, so the Rangers opted to return the 24-year-old to Round Rock to play on a more regular basis. In a corresponding move, the Rangers called up Meibrys Viloria from Round Rock to take over as the No. 2 backstop behind Jonah Heim.
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Rangers' Sam Huff: Continues to hit
Rotowire
Huff started at designated hitter and went 2-for-4 with a run scored in Friday's 8-5 win over Oakland.
Huff, who replaced Mitch Garver as the DH, continued a streak of hitting safely when he starts games. He's 13-for-30 over eight games as a starter and hitless in two pinch-hit appearances. Huff will stick around as long as Garver is unable to throw, but the results will make it difficult to send him and his bat back to the minors when Garver is ready to catch again.
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Rangers' Sam Huff: Fills in for slumping Lowe
Rotowire
Huff started at first base and went 1-for-4 with an infield single in Wednesday's 7-2 win over the Angels.
Huff filled in for a slumping Nathaniel Lowe, who is batting .132 over the last 22 games and has a season-long OPS+ of 82. Normally a catcher, Huff did make 59 starts at first base in the minors between 2018-21. The move makes sense on paper; Huff has hit safely in all seven games in which he's started in the majors this season, going 11-for-27 (.407). If he can handle the assignment defensively -- no mistakes in nine chances Wednesday -- the Rangers can get a better bat in the lineup while Lowe figures out the issues he's having at the plate.
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Rangers' Sam Huff: Making start at first base
Rotowire
Huff is starting at first base and batting seventh Wednesday against the Angels.
The Rangers will have all three of their catchers in the lineup Wednesday, with Huff making his first major-league start at first base, Jonah Heim behind the plate and Mitch Garver at designated hitter. Huff has appeared in only seven games so far in 2022 and is 10-for-23 with three RBI, two runs and a stolen base, and he could see more action at first base against left-handed pitching when Nathaniel Lowe is on the bench.
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Rangers' Sam Huff: Back from COVID-19 IL
Rotowire
Gallo (illness) was activated from the COVID-19 injured list Wednesday.
The 28-year-old has been sidelined nearly a week while battling the ailment, but he'll rejoin the active roster Wednesday while Giancarlo Stanton (calf) heads to the injured list. Gallo has a .171/.306/.390 slash line with three home runs, four RBI and six runs through 41 at-bats in May.
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Rangers' Sam Huff: Gets start Sunday
Rotowire
Huff started at catcher and went 2-for-4 in Sunday's 5-2 loss to the Astros.
Huff continues his latest stint with the Rangers, backing up Jonah Heim while Mitch Garver serves as the designated hitter. Garver, who missed time due to an elbow injury, has not yet been cleared to throw, per Kennedi Landry of MLB.com, and will continue to serve as the primary DH. That means Huff should remain in the majors for now. He's batting .435 (10-for-23) with three RBI, a stolen base and two runs scored over seven games, and he's hit safely in all six of his starts.
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Rangers' Sam Huff: Delivers as DH
Rotowire
Huff started at designated hitter and went 2-for-4 with a stolen base and a run scored in Monday's 7-4 win over the Dodgers.
Huff has hit safely in all four games while up with the Rangers. With Mitch Garver (elbow) set to begin a rehab assignment Tuesday, Huff's second stay in the majors is about to end. However, at some point, the power-hitting prospect could be a useful bat for the Rangers. Their designated hitter batting average of .205 ranks 24th in Major League Baseball.
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Rangers' Sam Huff: Singles in return
Rotowire
Huff started at catcher and went 1-for-3 in Wednesday's 8-2 loss to Kansas City.
Huff was called up after the Rangers placed Mitch Garver (elbow) on the injured list. The power-hitting prospect will back up Jonah Heim while Garver is unavailable.
