MLB Player News

Higashioka is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Blue Jays.

Higashioka will hit the bench for the day game after a night game, allowing Jose Trevino to pick up a turn behind the dish. In Tuesday's 6-5 loss, Higashioka started at catcher and went 0-for-2, dropping his season average to .140.

Lee has produced a .219/.272/.400 slash line across 114 plate appearances with Triple-A Sugar Land to begin the season.

Lee struggled to hit for power to begin the 2022 campaign, picking up only three extra-base hits across his first 12 games. However, he has collected three home runs and nine doubles in his last nine starts. On the other hand, his strikeout rate has ticked up to 26.3 percent, a considerable increase from his 17.2 percent figure at Double-A Corpus Christi in 2021. Even so, Lee is Houston's top catching prospect and now has 152 plate appearances at Triple-A, so he could make his big-league debut this season if either Jason Castro or Martin Maldonado suffers an injury.

Heim started at catcher, batted fourth, and went 2-for-4 with a run scored in Tuesday's 6-4 win over the Royals.

With primary backstop Mitch Garver (flexor strain) added to the injured list, Heim ascended to the top of the depth chart at catcher. He's also batted clean up in three of the last four games against righties and lefties. As a backup catcher, Heim received a healthy share of appearances while Rangers manager Chris Woodward often used Garver at designated hitter, but he should now log more frequent playing time as the primary backstop. This will be a test to see if Heim can continue a hot start to the season, which has been fueled by a .351 BABIP.

Jansen (oblique) began a rehab assignment with Single-A Dunedin on Tuesday, Keegan Matheson of MLB.com reports.

Jansen hasn't played in a full month while recovering from a strained left oblique. The length of his absence may mean he needs more than just a game or two of rehab before he's ready to return, though the Blue Jays haven't specified exactly how much time he'll need.

Stassi (undisclosed) was placed on the COVID-19 injured list Tuesday, Sam Blum of The Athletic reports.

Stassi was held out of the lineup Monday against the Rays and will now join fellow catcher Kurt Suzuki (undisclosed) on the COVID-19 IL. It's unclear if either player has tested positive for the virus, but the Angels are without their top two catchers regardless. Austin Romine was called up in a corresponding move and should split reps behind the plate with Chad Wallach.

Huff was recalled from Triple-A Round Rock on Tuesday, Kennedi Landry of MLB.com reports.

Huff spent three days on the major-league roster earlier in the season, going 1-for-3 at the plate in his lone game. In 19 games for Round Rock, he's hit .260/.349/.575 with seven homers. He'll back up Jonah Heim behind the plate while Mitch Garver (elbow) is on the injured list.

Garver was placed on the 10-day injured list Tuesday with a flexor sprain, Kennedi Landry of MLB.com reports.

The injury seemingly explains why Garver sat out the Rangers' last two games. His expected return date is not yet clear. Jonah Heim will step into the starting role behind the plate, with Sam Huff getting called up to serve as his backup.

Barnhart will sit for the second half of Tuesday's doubleheader against Oakland.

Barnhart went 2-for-4 in the first game of the day. Eric Haase will take over behind the plate in the second game, catching for Alex Faedo.

Triple-A Salt Lake placed Thaiss on the 7-day injured list Tuesday due to an unspecified issue.

Outfielder Orlando Martinez was called up from Double-A Rocket City to replace Thaiss on the Triple-A roster. Thaiss has hit .226 with three home runs and three stolen bases across 70 plate appearances at Salt Lake this season.

Collins remains on the bench for the third straight game Tuesday against the Yankees.

Collins has had a regular role at times this season but may be falling out of favor. He still owns a 115 wRC+ through 15 games, the product of a .222/.288/.444 slash line, but his 39.0 percent strikeout rate casts doubt on how long he'll be able to remain effective. Alejandro Kirk will be the designated hitter Tuesday, with Tyler Heineman starting behind the plate.