Former Rangers castoff is suddenly one of the Athletics' hottest hitters

Catcher Jonah Heim went from playing a key role in getting the Texas Rangers their first World Series Championship in 2023 to being non-tendered about two years later. He signed a deal with the Atlanta Braves last February but was designated for assignment and then traded to the Athletics for cash in early May.

Surprisingly, Heim has been one of the Athletics' best hitters lately, slashing .318/.367/.659 (174 wRC+) with four home runs, three doubles, and eight RBI over 49 plate appearances this month, entering Saturday. Heim has come through in the clutch several times for the Athletics since joining the club, hitting a game-tying RBI single against the San Francisco Giants in the ninth inning on Thursday, a game-tying home run against the Los Angeles Angels in the ninth inning on June 19, and a game-tying homer against the Milwaukee Brewers in the 10th inning on June 8.

Heim's strong month has raised his season slash line to .243/.305/.478 (111 wRC+) over 38 games entering Saturday after a slow start to the season with the Braves. For comparison, Heim hit .258/.317/.438 (107 wRC+) over 131 games in the best season of his career, 2023, when he posted 4.0 fWAR.

Jonah Heim's strong stretch with Athletics is hurting the Rangers

Unfortunately, Heim's strong stretch with the Athletics has hurt the Rangers. On Saturday morning, the Rangers and Athletics were tied for the third AL Wild Card spot with records of 40-42. As for the AL West standings, both trailed the Seattle Mariners by 1 1/2 games. If it hadn't been for Heim's strong numbers and late-game heroics, Texas would have likely had sole possession of a postseason spot on Saturday morning. With how close the AL is this season, it's possible Heim could end up being the reason the Athletics make the playoffs, and the Rangers don't.

Still, it's nice for Rangers fans to see Heim have a good start to his current stint with the Athletics. Heim will always have a special place in Rangers fans' hearts after he played arguably the most important position on the 2023 World Series team. Let's just hope he continues to hit well for the Athletics, but it won't be enough to keep the Rangers out of the playoffs. Assuming Heim keeps his roster spot with the Athletics, the catcher will face his former team in Sacramento for a three-game set from Aug. 14-16, and then later a three-game series in Arlington from Aug. 31 - Sept. 2.

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