Texas Rangers catcher Jonah Heim crushed his third home run of the season in the fifth inning of the Rangers' 6-2 win at Wrigley Field on Wednesday afternoon. To keep his bat in the lineup, Heim got the start at designated hitter while Kyle Higashioka handled the catching duties. Heim went 2-for-4 with the two-run blase off Shota Imanaga. On the season, the 29-year-old switch-hitter now sports a .310 batting average, a .310 ISO, a .402 wOBA, and a 45.8% hard-hit rate. He also has tacked on a pair of stolen bases. He has been one of the best hitting catchers so far this season, and getting at-bats at DH will further boost his fantasy value going forward.
Kyle Higashioka Back In The Lineup, Jonah Heim Takes A Seat
Texas Rangers catcher Kyle Higashioka is behind the plate again and will hit eighth on Monday against the Cincinnati Reds and right-hander Carson Spiers at Great American Ball Park, with Jonah Heim retreating to the bench. Through the team's first six games of the 2025 season, Higashioka and Heim have split the catching duties down the middle with three starts apiece. Heim has four hits (two homers) and two RBI in 10 at-bats so far, while Higashioka has gone 2-for-7 with a double and an RBI in his first two starts. The near-even split behind the dish should continue and will keep both catchers fresh throughout the year. However, it's also bad news for both players' fantasy ceiling at the weak catcher position. Higashioka is coming off a career-best year in San Diego with 17 homers and 45 RBI, but fantasy managers can't expect that kind of output again if he's in a timeshare.
Texas Rangers catcher Jonah Heim went 2-for-3 with two home runs during their victory over the Boston Red Sox on Friday evening. Heim would launch his first home run of the evening in the third inning against Boston right-hander Tanner Houck. Later in the fifth, Heim would take Houck deep for a second time. The 29-year-old was riding pine in the season opener on Thursday in favor of Kyle Higashioka but made a significant impact in his first outing of the season. Last summer, Heim took a step back after his 2023 All-Star season. In 2024, Heim held an underwhelming .220/.267/.336 slash line with 13 home runs and one stolen base. Fantasy managers should continue to monitor his production as he could eventually carve out a larger share of starts. For now, both backstops will likely share time, hindering their fantasy values.
Jonah Heim Starting In Place Of Kyle Higashioka On Friday
Texas Rangers catcher Jonah Heim will make his first start of the year on Friday against the visiting Boston Red Sox and right-hander Tanner Houck at Globe Life Field. Kyle Higashioka will take a seat on the bench for the second game of the season. Heim is doing the catching for right-hander Jack Leiter and is hitting eighth in the batting order. The 29-year-old left-handed-hitting Heim has lost a lot of fantasy appeal now that he's essentially in a timeshare with Higashioka after posting a disappointing .603 OPS in 2024. Meanwhile, Higashioka had a career year with the San Diego Padres last year, posting a .739 OPS with 17 home runs and 45 RBI in 84 games played. Higashioka went 1-for-4 with an RBI double on Opening Day in the loss to the Red Sox. Heim has gone deep once with three RBI in just five career at-bats versus Houck.
Jonah Heim, Kyle Higashioka To See Equal Playing Time
The Texas Rangers are planning to give catchers Jonah Heim and Kyle Higashioka equal playing time in 2025, according to general manager Ross Fenstermaker. The Rangers signed Higashioka to a two-year, $13.5 million deal on Monday night and will plan to give him plenty of playing time behind the plate given Heim's struggles on offense this past season. The 29-year-old Heim was an All-Star in 2023, won a Gold Glove and a World Series ring, but he wasn't as good in 2024, slashing .220/.267/.336 with a weak .602 OPS, 13 home runs, 59 RBI and 45 runs scored in 131 games played in his fourth year in Texas. Meanwhile, Higashioka had a career year in his lone season with the San Diego Padres with 17 home runs and 45 RBI in 84 games played as the team's primary backstop. Texas will be hoping a straight split in playing time will keep them both productive, but it will surely limit their fantasy upside.
Texas Rangers catcher Jonah Heim will retreat to the bench for Thursday's series finale against the division-rival Oakland Athletics in the final game at the Oakland Coliseum. Carson Kelly will do the catching for rookie right-hander Kumar Rocker and will bat eighth against A's right-hander J.T. Ginn. The 29-year-old's day off comes after he homered in each of the first two games of the series. Heim made his first All-Star team in 2023 before eventually helping lead the Rangers to their first World Series title. He hasn't been nearly as good in 2024, though, batting .219 (98-for-448) with 13 home runs and 57 RBI in 480 plate appearances. Since joining the Rangers in the middle of the season via trade, Kelly has slashed .233/.296/.311 with a .607 OPS, one homer and seven RBI in 28 games for the Rangers as the No. 2 backstop behind Heim.
Texas Rangers catcher Jonah Heim will retreat to the bench on Monday against the visiting division-rival Houston Astros after starting the two previous games on Saturday and Sunday. In his absence, the Rangers will roll with Carson Kelly behind the plate and in the nine-hole in the batting order versus Astros right-hander Hunter Brown. The switch-hitting Heim has been struggling offensively since the All-Star break, batting just .178 (8-for-45) with two homers, 10 RBI, a walk and six strikeouts in 13 games played. After making his first All-Star team a year ago, he's been a bit of a disappointment for fantasy managers with a .233/.278/.348 slash line, a weak .626 OPS, 10 home runs and 46 RBI in 95 games in his four season in Texas. Kelly has some pop (seven homers) as a backup catcher, but he'll be a low-upside DFS sleeper at the position in the nine-hole on Monday.
Texas Rangers catcher Jonah Heim will head to the bench Saturday night for their game against the Baltimore Orioles in favor of veteran Andrew Knizner. It appears to be a standard day of rest for Heim. The veteran backstop is hitting .238 with eight home runs, 36 RBI, one stolen base, and 32 runs scored. Look for Heim to be back in the lineup as the Rangers close out the series with the Orioles tomorrow afternoon.
Texas Rangers catcher Jonah Heim (neck) is back behind the plate and will hit seventh on Wednesday against the hosting Los Angeles Angels and right-hander Griffin Canning. Heim is feeling good enough to give it a go after he was scratched from Tuesday night's lineup with neck stiffness as a precaution. He hasn't picked up a hit in four career at-bats against Canning, but Heim should be returned to starting lineups nevertheless. The former fourth-round pick by the Baltimore Orioles in 2013 has hit .333 (15-for-45) with two home runs, three doubles, four RBI and eight runs scored in 13 games (11 starts) since June 24. Heim's overall numbers don't really scream superstar -- .244 average, eight home runs, 36 RBI -- but the switch-hitting backstop is on pace to set a new career-high in long balls after making his first All-Star team in 2023.
Texas Rangers catcher Jonah Heim (neck) is out of the lineup for Tuesday's game against the division-rival Los Angeles Angels with neck stiffness. It doesn't sound like a serious issue, so fantasy managers should consider Heim day-to-day ahead of Wednesday's series finale in Anaheim. In 78 games for the Rangers this season, the switch-hitting backstop is batting .244 (68-for-279) with eight homers, 36 RBI, and one stolen base. In his place, Adolis Garcia is now operating as the designated hitter while Derek Hill enters the lineup to bat ninth against Angels right-hander Roansy Contreras and park in right field.
Jonah Heim
• C
•
Rangers
