4 days agoTexas 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.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
4 months agoThe 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.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Texas Rangers PR
6 months agoSan 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.
--Andy Webb - RotoBallerSource: mlb.com
8 months agoSan 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.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: The San Diego Union-Tribune - Jeff Sanders
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