April 10, 2025
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.
--Zach Thompson - RotoBallerSource: ESPN.com
April 1, 2025
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.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
March 29, 2025
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.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
March 28, 2025
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.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
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