Rangers Catcher Finds Hot Streak at Plate After Calendar Turns to June

The Texas Rangers needed one of their catchers to step up and given them some offense and one finally has.

Texas Rangers catcher Kyle Higashioka. | Erik Williams-Imagn Images

ARLINGTON, Texas — To be fair, Texas Rangers catcher Kyle Higashioka hasn’t been playing every day this week just because of Danny Jansen’s injury.

While the Rangers placed Jansen on the 10-day injured list on Saturday, the veteran catcher hadn’t played in a game since Tuesday when he was a late defensive replacement. While Jansen has been dealing with a straight right forearm, Higashioka’s bat, after a slow start, has finally caught up to where it was last season.

After batting .200 in May, Higashioka put that behind him with a 3-for-4 game in St. Louis on Tuesday, followed by a 1-for-2 game in the finale. Then, against Cleveland on Friday he hit a home run — an important one — in a 3-2 win over the Guardians.

“He’s hit the ball on the barrel,” Rangers manager Skip Schumaker said. “These aren’t cheap hits and he’s had extra-base hits. I mean that hit [home run] right there, it only got a run across but it felt like the momentum in the dugout changed.”

The next batter, Wyatt Langford, doubled, and he scored when Corey Seager hit a home run.

Kyle Higashioka’s Hot Streak

Higgy puts one in the upper deck! #AllForTX pic.twitter.com/fVlth9L7g1

— Texas Rangers (@Rangers) June 6, 2026

To see the genesis of this, one must go back to May 17 at Houston. Higashioka went 2-for-4 that night and drove in three runs. He also had a home run. His average dipped below .200 by May 28 and then he didn’t play until the finale against Kansas City on May 31. That day he went 2-for-4 with an RBI.

He’s been hot ever since. He’s now slashing .248/.321/.396 with four home runs and 11 RBI in 33 games. But’s he batting .556 in June.

“If you think about that St. Louis series, he didn’t get the bunt down and then he hit a line drive to right field. He has been really good. He’s not only playing the game the right way but he’s hitting in big spots with slug.”

That hit helped keep a two-run fifth inning going in the Rangers’ 7-4 win over the St. Louis Cardinals.

In 2025 Higashioka signed a two-year deal with Texas and ended up putting together one of his best offensive seasons in a tandem with Jonah Heim. He slashed .241/.291/.403 with 11 home runs and 47 RBI. The idea this season was that he and Jansen would work in a tandem behind the plate, but Jansen had gotten more playing time up until last week, coinciding with his injury and his slash of .171/.277/.309.

Until Jansen returns, Elias Diaz, signed on Saturday, will be the backup. While the veteran will get a spot start here and there, Higashioka will get the bulk of the playing time. Injury or not, he’s earned it.