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.
Rangers Sign Catcher Kyle Higashioka For Two Years
The Texas Rangers have signed catcher Kyle Higashioka to a two-year, $13.5 million deal that includes a mutual option for 2027. The veteran will back up incumbent Jonah Heim who logged 119 games behind the dish for Texas last season. Higashioka played in San Diego in 2024, getting only sporadic playing time as the backup to Luis Campusano until his bat went cold and an injury forced him to miss time, paving the way for Higashioka to take over as the starter. Through May, the 34-year-old was hitting .128 with one home run and a wRC+ of just 4 in 48 plate appearances, but from June up until the end of the season, the backstop hit .241 with 16 home runs and a wRC+ of 127 in 215 PA. As the backup in Texas, Higashioka is off the fantasy radar, but after proving he's still got some pop in his bat, managers would be wise to give him a look if anything were to cause Heim to miss time.
Rangers Agree With Kyle Higashioka On Two-Year Deal
The Texas Rangers agreed to a two-year, $13.5 million deal with free-agent catcher Kyle Higashioka on Monday night that includes a mutual option for the 2027 season. Higashioka opened his first year with the San Diego Padres in 2024 as the backup to Luis Campusano, but he quickly took over starting duties after Campusano was injured early in the year and never looked back on his way to a career year. The 34-year-old former seventh-round pick by the New York Yankees in 2008 hit only .220 (54-for-246), but it came with a career-high 17 home runs, career-high 45 RBI and career-high 29 runs scored in 84 regular-season games. Higashioka isn't suddenly going to hit for average at this point in his career, and he's unlikely to come close to eclipsing his 2024 numbers as the likely backup to Jonah Heim in Texas. But don't discredit the pop if he earns more time, as he's reached 10 homers in four straight seasons.
San Diego Padres catcher Kyle Higashioka is out of the starting lineup ahead of Wednesday's game against the Houston Astros. This appears to be a routine rest day for Higashioka who has played in each of the last four games. In his absence, Elias Diaz will do the catching and bat eighth versus left-hander Framber Valdez. Diaz is having a decent season with the bat, but has only one hit in 10 plate appearances with the Padres. He'll be an avoidable streaming option against a tough southpaw on Wednesday.
Ha-Seong Kim, Kyle Higashioka Sitting On Wednesday
San Diego Padres shortstop Ha-Seong Kim and catcher Kyle Higashioka will both head to the bench on Wednesday as the team looks for a three-game sweep of the visiting Pittsburgh Pirates at Petco Field. Tyler Wade will start at the 6 and bat ninth, while Luis Campusano will do the catching and hit eighth against Pirates right-hander Mitch Keller. Kim hasn't been nearly as effective as he was in his breakout 2023 season while batting leadoff for the Friars. The 28-year-old South Korean is hitting near the bottom of the lineup this year, but he remains useful in fantasy for his speed (22 stolen bases). After a strong start to the year, Campusano has struggled offensively, allowing Kyle Higashioka to become SD's favored backstop. Higashioka is hitting only .224 (38-for-170), but he already has a career-high 14 homers in his first year in San Diego.
San Diego Padres catcher Kyle Higashioka will head to the bench in Sunday's series finale against the hosting Miami Marlins as the Friars go for the three-game sweep. Luis Campusano will be behind the dish and will bat ninth for San Diego against Marlins right-hander Max Meyer. Higashioka and Campusano have been splitting playing time more regularly ever since Campusano returned from an injury earlier this year. In his first year with the Friars, Higashioka is hitting only .230 (38-for-165) but has been useful in fantasy leagues for his power, as he's slugged a career-best 14 home runs after hitting 10 long balls in each of his previous three seasons with the New York Yankees. Campusano, meanwhile, has been a disappointment offensively after a strong start, as he heads into Sunday's game with a .238/.278/.379 slash line with a .658 OPS, seven homers and 37 RBI in 240 at-bats.
San Diego Padres catcher Kyle Higashioka is back in the starting lineup as the Padres will look to clinch a series victory over the Atlanta Braves on Sunday. Higashioka had the day off on Saturday but has begun to see the majority of the starts behind the dish in San Diego. The 34-year-old began to receive more opportunities while Luis Campusano was on the injured list with a thumb injury but remained the primary backstop since he returned. Since June 26, Higashioka has posted a strong .333/.394/.833 line with five long balls and 13 RBI. Campusano has only made two starts since returning from the injured list last week. While Higashioka may be swinging a hot bat, he should be faded in DFS this afternoon as he will face Atlanta southpaw Chris Sale, who has dominated in the first half of the season and is a front-runner to win the NL Cy Young.
San Diego Padres catcher Kyle Higashioka racked up six RBI in Wednesday afternoon's win over the visiting Washington Nationals, smashing two home runs in the victory. After smacking a two-run homer to left field to give the Padres a 2-0 lead in the second inning, Higashioka clobbered his second long ball of the game with a grand slam to left field off Nationals right-hander Tanner Rainey to extend San Diego's lead to 8-0 in the eighth frame. The 34-year-old longtime New York Yankee is worth considering in two-catcher fantasy leagues while starting backstop Luis Campusano (thumb) is on the injured list, slashing a robust .289/.333/.822 with seven big flies and 17 RBI across 45 at-bats during the month of June.
Padres Acquire Michael King, Kyle Higashioka, Others From Yankees
The San Diego Padres officially sent outfielders Juan Soto and Trent Grisham to the New York Yankees in a blockbuster trade on Wednesday in exchange for right-handers Michael King, Drew Thorpe, Jhony Brito, and Randy Vasquez, and catcher Kyle Higashioka. The Padres cleared payroll space and acquired some much-needed pitching help with this massive deal. King, 28, could give the team a solid mid-rotation starter, but he struggled in the big leagues before 2023 and has already dealt with a major elbow injury. Thorpe, 23, was the Yankees' No. 5 prospect and could be a rotation option down the line, but he has yet to pitch above Double-A. Brito, 25, doesn't miss many bats and is likely ticketed for a relief role after struggling as a starter in the majors. Vasquez, 25, has durability questions but could serve as a back-end starter for the Friars. And Higashioka, 34, has some decent power and should serve as Luis Campusano's backup.
Kyle Higashioka Gets $1.46 Million To Avoid Arbitration
The New York Yankees and catcher Kyle Higashioka agreed to a one-year, $1.46 million deal to avoid salary arbitration. The 32-year-old has one more year of arbitration before entering free agency. His workload may have been reduced when the Yankees acquired Jose Trevino, but Higashioka will still get considerable reps behind the plate. This past season, he made 248 plate appearances and molded a .227/.264/.389 slash line and matched his career-high 10 HRs. The veteran may not be the most efficient player at the plate. However, his defensive attributes allow him to keep his job. He ranked in the 71st percentile for framing in 2022, which is quite impressive for a backup catcher. Although, his fantasy value is likely insignificant with Trevino as the Yankees' primary catcher.
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