Rangers DH Says Only One Way to Fix Elbow
Texas Rangers catcher and designated hitter Mitch Garver says there’s only one way that his right forearm flexor muscle strain and it’s surgery.
Garver admitted as much to MLB.com as he discussed his frustration with not being able to catch while he tries to contribute as a DH.
“The only way that I'm gonna be the player that I want to be is with the surgery,” Garver said.
Garver is hitting .200/.287/.380/.667 as the Rangers enter their 10-day, nine-game road trip at Kansas City on Monday. Garver was in the starting lineup, hitting sixth.
He boosted that average a bit with a two-run home run in the top of the fifth to give the Rangers a 7-4 lead.
Hitting is all Garver is allowed to do right now. He hasn’t recovered from the injury that sidelined him for 10 games from May 9-19. He’s unable to throw, which means he can’t play catcher.
Right now, the bat isn’t cooperating much, either, though he does have seven home runs and 16 RBI.
Garver admitted that it’s taking a toll.
“Yeah, I mean, I’m not hitting the ball, Garver said. “I’m not gonna blame it on my elbow. I’m just not hitting the ball well, and it is what it is. I do think it’s a part of it. It sucks not being able to catch, too. I’m not a DH, I’m a catcher. So it’s kinda like a big part of who I am is missing as a player because I can’t go out there and do what I want to do and do what I’m good at.”
Jonah Heim has emerged as the Rangers’ primary catcher, and he’s hitting clean-up on Monday and carries a .246 average with 10 home runs, 29 RBI, a .307 on-base percentage and a .474 slugging percentage. Sam Huff was Heim’s primary backup until last week when he was sent to Triple-A Round Rock. Meibrys Viloria is the backup.
Garver came to the Rangers in March in a trade with Minnesota that saw the Rangers give up infielder Isiah Kiner-Falefa. The idea was for Garver and Heim to serve as a time-share at catcher, but the injury has upended that rotation.
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