This Rangers catcher should be odd man out ahead of Danny Jansen roster crunch

When the music stops, there will only be two chairs available for three catchers, all of whom have cases to be made to stay on the roster. Still, the Texas Rangers are unlikely to keep three at the position, which means that either Danny Jansen, Kyle Higashioka, or Elias Diaz will have to pack their bags.

This is going to be a telling roster move as Jansen is due a lot of money, but Diaz has come in and been the most effective player both offensively and defensively. And then there's Higashioka, a ten-year veteran who has the implicit trust of all the pitchers on the staff and Jordan Tiegs. It is going to be a tough call, for sure.

The Rangers would be wise to forget about financial implications while solving the catcher dilemma

There's no getting around the fact that the Rangers signed Jansen to a two-year deal and still are on the hook for $8 million next year and a mutual option for $8 million more in 2028. Jansen has not been very good this year as he works his way back from a right forearm strain. His slash of .171/.277/.309 over 142 at-bats is well below his career .216/.308/.409.

Jansen's career numbers don't exactly blow your doors off, but he has a career .717 OPS and has proven over eight years that he is good for 10-15 homers a year and about 40-45 RBIs. He's not going to get anywhere near that this year as he currently sits at 3 dingers and 12 RBIs. He is only 30 years old and is known as a plus defender, but has been outplayed by Elias Diaz.

Diaz is a 35-year-old journeyman who was picked up off the scrap heap for just $780,000. To date, he has been the best offensive option with a .318/.311/.455 slash. An All-Star for the Rockies as recently as 2023, he is 14-for-44 as a Ranger and has come up with some big hits filling in for Jansen. But is it enough for Jansen to be Wally Pipp'd and replaced, given that he is the much larger financial investment?

Even though it might be the most straightforward solution, we don't think that the team will part with Higgy. He is a solid backstop who, despite showing a subpar arm and inability to cut down runners on the basepaths so far this season, is the ultimate platoon-type of player. To a man, Jacob deGrom, Nathan Eovaldi, Jack Leiter, Kumar Rocker, and MacKenzie Gore will tell you he manages the game with a steely demeanor, and they like having him as a battery mate.

So, the question becomes whether Ray Davis and Chris Young would be willing to eat a significant amount of cash by releasing Jansen and keeping the better performer in Diaz, or will they hope that Jansen comes back from injury and plays better, justifying sending Diaz on his way.

It's a very tough call because Diaz's sample size is not very big, and he is going to be 36 in November. Still, he has shown a better arm and a better approach at the plate that has led to more production at the bottom of the lineup.

We're just glad that we don't have to be the ones to call either of them into Skip Schumaker's office to give him the bad news. However, if we were making the call, we'd take offers on Jansen and ride Elias because he has been better in all areas of the game and has hit 20 points higher in his career. Even as Diaz regresses a bit to the mean, you are going to get more production over the long haul from him.

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