Higashioka went 1-for-4 with a three-run double in Wednesday's 6-3 win over the Royals.
Higashioka, who sat out the previous four contests with a hamstring injury, returned to the lineup and provided the key hit in the win. His ninth-inning double cleared the bases. Higashioka's batting just .206 (7-for-34) over 10 games this month, but he's managed to make in impact with nine RBI over the stretch.
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Rangers' Kyle Higashioka: Dealing with hamstring issue
Rotowire
Higashioka is out of the lineup for a third straight game Monday against the Royals due to a hamstring injury, Kennedi Landry of MLB.com reports.
Rangers manager Bruce Bochy has labeled Higashioka's injury as "very, very, very mild," so the expectation is that the catcher will avoid a stint on the injured list. Jonah Heim will handle catching duties Monday, but Higashioka could return to the lineup as soon as Tuesday.
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Rangers' Kyle Higashioka: Resting Sunday
Rotowire
Higashioka is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Blue Jays.
Higashioka will get a breather for the series finale after starting behind the plate Friday. Jonah Heim will form a battery with starting pitcher Nathan Eovaldi on Sunday.
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Rangers' Kyle Higashioka: Swats homer in loss
Rotowire
Higashioka went 1-for-4 with a home run and three RBI in Friday's 6-5 loss to the Blue Jays.
Higashioka gave the Rangers an early lead with a three-run homer in the second inning. The blast was his fourth home run over the last 11 games, a span in which he slashed .289/.325/.684 with eight RBI and eight runs scored.
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Rangers' Kyle Higashioka: Absent from lineup
Rotowire
Higashioka is not in the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Diamondbacks.
Higashioka was behind the dish for a night game Tuesday, so he'll get some rest during Wednesday's matinee. Jonah Heim will catch and bat eighth for the Rangers.
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Rangers' Kyle Higashioka: Getting rest Monday
Rotowire
Higashioka is absent from the lineup for Monday's game versus the Diamondbacks.
Higashioka has taken on a bigger share of the catching duties for the Rangers lately, but he'll get a breather for Monday's series opener. Jonah Heim will start behind the plate and bat ninth.
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Rangers' Kyle Higashioka: Sitting Saturday
Rotowire
Higashioka is not in the Rangers' starting lineup against the Phillies on Saturday.
Higashioka will get a breather while Jonah Heim works behind home plate and bats eighth. Higashioka has been productive in 13 games since the All-Star break and has a .946 OPS with one steal, three home runs and five RBI over that span.
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Rangers' Kyle Higashioka: Out of Monday's lineup
Rotowire
Higashioka is not in the lineup for Monday's tilt against the Yankees.
Higashioka started both of the previous two contests and five of the last six games, but he'll take a seat in Monday's series opener. Jonah Heim will handle catching duties and will bat eighth for the Rangers.
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Rangers' Kyle Higashioka: Homer, three RBI in win
Rotowire
Higashioka went 2-for-4 with a home run, a walk, three total RBI and an additional run scored in Saturday's 6-4 extra-innings win over the Mariners.
Higashioka opened the scoring with a two-run homer in the third inning and broke a 2-2 tie in the 10th with an RBI single. In 17 games since July 4, the veteran backstop has posted a remarkable 1.142 OPS with nine extra-base hits, 14 RBI and 10 runs scored. For the year, he's slashing .269/.316/.431 with seven home runs, 30 RBI, 22 runs scored and three steals across 212 plate appearances.
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Rangers' Kyle Higashioka: Sitting Friday
Rotowire
Higashioka is not in the Rangers' starting lineup against the Mariners on Friday.
Higashioka has started in the Rangers' last three games since returning from a hamstring injury, going 5-for-11 with a triple and two solo homers. He'll get a breather Friday while Jonah Heim serves behind home plate and bats ninth.
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Rangers' Kyle Higashioka: Could pinch hit Sunday
Rotowire
Higashioka (hamstring) is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against Atlanta.
Higashioka will be on the bench for a fourth consecutive game while he tends to what manager Bruce Bochy has called "half of a Grade 1" right hamstring strain, according to MLB.com. Jonah Heim will once again get the nod behind the plate, though Bochy expressed optimism that Higashioka will be able to pinch hit Sunday, if needed, per Shawn McFarland of The Dallas Morning News.
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Rangers' Kyle Higashioka: Still out Saturday
Rotowire
Higashioka (hamstring) isn't in the lineup for Saturday's game against Atlanta.
Saturday marks the third consecutive start Higashioka will miss since he strained his hamstring during Tuesday's contest. Manager Bruce Bochy previously said he was hopeful the 35-year-old catcher could avoid a trip to the injured list, though that may change if his absence extends another couple of games. Jonah Heim will draw another start behind the plate and bat ninth Saturday.
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Rangers' Kyle Higashioka: Not playing Friday
Rotowire
Higashioka (hamstring) is not in the Rangers' starting lineup against Atlanta on Friday.
Higashioka will be sidelined for a second consecutive game due to a mild hamstring strain that he suffered during the Rangers' win over the Athletics on Tuesday. Jonah Heim will serve behind home plate and bat seventh.
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Rangers' Kyle Higashioka: Nursing mild strain
Rotowire
Higashioka was diagnosed with a mild hamstring strain and will be out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Athletics, Shawn McFarland of The Dallas Morning News reports.
Higashioka's hamstring injury resulted in him making an early exit from Tuesday's 6-2 win. Despite the backstop's diagnosis, manager Bruce Bochy said Wednesday that he's hopeful Higashioka can avoid a trip to the injured list. Jonah Heim will start behind the plate in Wednesday's series finale and will likely operate as the Rangers' primary catcher until Higashioka is healthy.
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Rangers' Kyle Higashioka: Runs hit streak to six games
Rotowire
Higashioka went 2-for-3 with a double in Friday's 2-0 win over the Tigers.
Higashioka's bat has come alive of late. He's hit safely in six straight, going 9-for-24 (.375) with two home runs, a double and four RBI during the streak. He continues to share the catching with Jonah Heim while both get opportunities as the DH.
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Rangers' Kyle Higashioka: Comes alive against former club
Rotowire
Higashioka went 3-for-3 with a home run, five RBI and a stolen base in Saturday's 7-4 victory versus San Diego.
Higashioka played for the Padres last season and recorded career highs with 17 homers and 45 RBI. He hadn't been able to carry that production over to Texas, as the veteran backstop came into Saturday with just one homer and 16 RBI across 44 games. Higashioka tormented his former club, though, swatting a two-run homer in the third inning before adding an RBI single in the fourth and eighth frames sandwiched around a sacrifice fly in the sixth. For good measure, the catcher swiped a bag in the eighth inning, marking his first theft as a Ranger and just his third over his nine big-league campaigns. Higashioka boosted his season OPS nearly 50 points from .573 to .621, but that's still well below the .739 mark he registered last year.
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Rangers' Kyle Higashioka: Hitting bench Wednesday
Rotowire
Higashioka is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Rays.
Though he's on the bench Wednesday, Higashioka seems to have at least moved into a timeshare with Jonah Heim behind the dish. Over the last six games, Higashioka started five times (four at catcher, one at designated hitter), while Heim was included in the lineup three times during that stretch. Heim (.659 OPS) has still been more productive at the plate than Higashioka (.599 OPS), so the latter will likely need to string together some more quality offensive performances before emerging as the clear No. 1 option.
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Rangers' Kyle Higashioka: Retreating to bench Sunday
Rotowire
Higashioka is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Cardinals.
Jonah Heim is back behind the plate Sunday, but he's gone 2-for-23 with no walks and 10 strikeouts over his last eight games and seems to be losing his grip on the Rangers' No. 1 backstop job. Higashioka had started the previous four games -- three at catcher, one at designated hitter -- and went 3-for-11 during that stretch to bring his batting average up to .233 on the season. Though he'll be out of the lineup for the series finale, Higashioka may have at least moved into a timeshare with Heim at catcher.
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Rangers' Kyle Higashioka: Playing time picking up
Rotowire
Higashioka went 2-for-4 with three runs scored and a walk in Friday's 11-1 win over St. Louis.
It was Higashioka's first multi-hit game in 11 outings this month, and he scored a season-high three runs as part of the Rangers' offensive outburst. The veteran backstop remains a without a home run in his last 17 contests (51 at-bats), during which he's batting just .216 with two doubles, five RBI and six runs scored. Even so, Higashioka has a clearer pathway to action as the designated hitter while Joc Pederson nurses a broken hand, as the former has started four of Texas' past five games since the latter went down.
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Rangers' Kyle Higashioka: Moves to IL
Rotowire
The Rangers placed Higashioka on the 10-day injured list Thursday due to a mild left intercostal strain.
Texas had previously indicated Wednesday that Higashioka was dealing with hamstring soreness, but after further evaluation, the veteran backstop was revealed to be dealing with an injury to the upper half of his body. Manager Bruce Bochy does not expect Higashioka to be sidelined beyond the minimum 10 days, Shawn McFarland of The Dallas Morning News reports. Higashioka had been working in a timeshare behind the plate with Jonah Heim for much of the season, but Heim should see the overwhelming share of starts at catcher while Higashioka is out.
