Garver (knee) started at catcher and went 1-for-4 with a three-run home run and an additional run scored for Triple-A Round Rock on Sunday.
Garver batted leadoff to maximize plate appearance and was removed after six innings. It was his second consecutive game behind the plate. The catcher/DH began a rehab assignment last week and is 5-for-13 with three walks, two doubles, two home runs, four RBI and five runs scored over four games. The Rangers may want see him play nine innings before activating him this week.
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Rangers' Mitch Garver: Begins rehab assignment
Rotowire
Garver (knee) went 2-for-4 with two doubles Tuesday in the first game of his rehab assignment with Triple-A Round Rock.
Garver served as Round Rock's designated hitter Tuesday and made four trips to the plate before being lifted in the ninth inning. Garver will get another turn at DH in his next rehab game for Round Rock before working behind the plate. If all goes well over the next few days, Garver could be ready to return from the 10-day injured list at some point next week.
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Rangers' Mitch Garver: Rehab begins Tuesday
Rotowire
Garver (knee) will begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Round Rock on Tuesday, MLB.com reports.
Texas manager Bruce Bochy said Garver will serve as the designated hitter the first two games, then the plan is to have him catch the third game. The planned length of Garver's rehab assignment isn't yet known.
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Rangers' Mitch Garver: Nearing rehab assignment
Rotowire
Manager Bruce Bochy said Sunday that Garver (knee) is expected to begin a rehab assignment around May 23, Sonja Chen of MLB.com reports.
Garver's target date to return from the 10-day injured list was previously mentioned as May 23, but his activation date is now likely to be at least a few days beyond that. The 32-year-old played in just six games before he landed on the shelf with a knee sprain in early April, so he could require a handful of games in the minors before being cleared to rejoin the Rangers.
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Rangers' Mitch Garver: Target return date still May 23
Rotowire
The target date for Garver (knee) to return off the 10-day injured list remains May 23, Kennedi Landry of MLB.com reports.
Garver was able to take batting practice Friday and continues to make positive progress from the knee sprain that has kept him on the injured list since the middle of April. Because of how much time the veteran 31-year-old has missed, Garver will likely need a rehab assignment of at least a handful of games, and he'll likely begin that assignment at some point in the next week.
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Rangers' Mitch Garver: Takes batting practice
Rotowire
Garver (knee) took batting practice Friday, Shawn McFarland of the Dallas Morning News reports.
Garver, who was placed on the 10-day injured list April 10 with a left knee sprain, has ramped up his activity of late. Texas manager Bruce Bochy is targeting a May 23 return date.
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Rangers' Mitch Garver: Takes swings
Rotowire
Garver (knee) took swings at Globe Life Field during pregame Tuesday, Kennedi Landry of MLB.com reports.
Garver recently had his recovery timetable extended but is still able to work out as he rehabs a left knee injury. He is not expected back until at least late May.
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Rangers' Mitch Garver: Timeline extended
Rotowire
Texas general manager Chris Young said Friday that Garver (knee) will be out at least another month, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News reports.
There has been mixed and unclear messaging since Garver landed on the injured list after tweaking his left knee during a game April 8. At that time, it was believed to be a minor injury, but then an MRI exam revealed a more significant sprain. Earlier this week, manager Bruce Bochy said Garver would need about four weeks to recover. The Rangers' official site provided an update Friday, attributed to Bochy, that Garver will be out for five to six weeks, and it's unclear if that's five to six weeks from the time of the injury or from the most recent update. It's looking like a mid-May return at the earliest for Garver. In the meantime, Jonah Heim and Sandy Leon will hold down catching duties.
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Rangers' Mitch Garver: Needs four weeks off
Rotowire
Texas manager Bruce Bochy said Monday that Garver (knee) will need about four weeks to recover, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News reports.
When asked if Garver would return Wednesday when eligible, Bochy provided a new timeline for the injury, which was originally described as a minor knee sprain. The longer-term recovery for Garver means he may not return until early May.
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Rangers' Mitch Garver: Heads to IL with knee sprain
Rotowire
The Rangers placed Garver on the 10-day injured list Monday with a mild left knee sprain.
There's no immediate word on a timetable, but given how Garver's injury is being labeled, he wouldn't seem to be at risk of a long-term absence. Sandy Leon has been called up from Triple-A Round Rock to take Garver's spot on the active roster and will serve as the backup to No. 1 catcher Jonah Heim.
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Rangers' Mitch Garver: Possible waiver wire pickups
Rotowire
Mitch Garver was the fourth to surprise with a multi-homer game this weekend, joining Trayce Thompson, Joey Gallo and Nolan Gorman. The performance Saturday came with him occupying the catcher spot, where he'll be of the most use in Fantasy once he regains eligibility there. He was at DH the next day, which is where he figures to play most often, and it may be for the best if it keeps him in the lineup. His home run pace over the past four years, prorated for 162 games, is 38. If you can afford to stash Garver away until he's catcher-eligible again, he could be a real factor there.
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Rangers' Mitch Garver: Goes yard twice in big win
Rotowire
Garver went 2-for-4 with a walk, two home runs, a third run scored and six RBI in Saturday's 16-3 rout of the Phillies.
After slugging a three-run shot in the fifth inning off Yunior Marte, Garver did it again in the seventh, this time off Seranthony Dominguez. The power display isn't a surprise, as Garver hit 23 homers in 122 games over the last two seasons with a .233/.330/.463 slash line, but the more important development for his fantasy value was the fact that he was able to play a full game behind the plate Saturday. If the 32-year-old regains catcher eligibility after being limited to 14 games at the position last year due to a forearm injury, his offensive profile becomes a lot more palatable.
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Rangers' Mitch Garver: In Saturday's lineup
Rotowire
Garver will start at catcher and bat seventh against the Phillies on Saturday.
Garver is making his 2023 debut after ceding catching duties to Jonah Heim in the season opener Thursday. After playing just 14 games at catcher in 2022 due to a forearm injury, he may not qualify at catcher depending on league settings, but Garver is expected to share backstop duties with Heim in 2023. He'll also rotate at designated hitter along with Heim and Brad Miller, who will start at DH on Saturday.
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Rangers' Mitch Garver: Sits Opening Day
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Garver did not play in Thursday's 11-7 win over the Phillies.
The switch-hitting Jonah Heim got the start behind the plate against Philadelphia right-hander Aaron Nola, while Brad Miller served as the designated hitter. Those two players plus Garver are expected to see most of the at-bats at DH this season for the Rangers.
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Rangers' Mitch Garver: Ramping up catching
Rotowire
Garver is expected to catch back-to-back games this week for first time this spring, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News reports.
Garver is slowly ramping up his time behind the plate. He played seven innings in a game last week, then a full nine two days later. He also thwarted a stolen-base attempt apiece in each game, which is more outs than he had in the limited time he caught in 2022. "I was pretty excited," Garver said. "I got into a good position. I made a good throw. It felt good. It has felt good all spring." Despite the promising results, Garver is expected to get fewer starts at catcher than Jonah Heim, per Kennedi Landry of MLB.com. That's partially due to Garver coming off forearm surgery, but Heim possesses a quicker release, stronger arm and quicker pop time, skills that will be handy for an expected increase in attempted steals in 2023. When not behind the plate, Garver is expected to rotate in at designated hitter.
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Rangers' Mitch Garver: Catches deGrom
Rotowire
Garver started at catcher and went 0-for-4 in Sunday's spring game against Seattle.
Garver, who missed half the 2022 season due to a forearm injury, caught all nine innings for the first time this spring. For those into reading signs, that Garver was behind the plate for Jacob deGrom's Cactus League debut indicates he will resume playing catcher for Texas after last season's injury limited him to DH duties.
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Rangers' Mitch Garver: Starts behind plate
Rotowire
Garver started at catcher and went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in Monday's spring game against the Reds.
Garver caught his first game since May 8 after a forearm injury limited him to designated hitter duty in 2022 before he underwent season-ending surgery in July. He sat behind the plate for three innings for starter Martin Perez. Healthy now, Garver will go back to catching, at least part time, and will also serve as DH while Jonah Heim catches.
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Rangers' Mitch Garver: Looks healthy for spring
Rotowire
Garver (forearm) took batting practice Monday and appears to be healthy for spring training, Jeff Wilson of RangersToday.com reports.
Garver, who agreed to a one-year, $3.9 million deal in January to avoid arbitration, is back in Texas for a second season. After heading into Opening Day last season as the Rangers' top backstop, Garver ended up making just 14 starts behind the plate before a right flexor sprain limited him strictly to designated-hitter duties until he underwent season-ending surgery on his forearm shortly before the All-Star break. Though his ability to take batting practice at the start of spring training suggests he's at or close to 100 percent, Garver may have to settle for more of a part-time role at catcher and DH in 2023. Even before having forearm surgery, Garver graded out poorly behind the plate. Jonah Heim, meanwhile, is a superior defensive option who also showed some pop and decent bat-to-ball skills while serving as Texas' primary backstop last season. The righty-hitting Garver thus looks like a better candidate for a short-side platoon gig at catcher or DH.
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Rangers' Mitch Garver: Gets forearm surgery
Rotowire
Garver's wife, Sarah, confirmed via her personal Instagram account that her husband underwent successful surgery Monday to repair the flexor tendon of his right forearm.
Even though Garver and the team came to the mutual decision a few days ago that he would get season-ending surgery to address an injury that has lingered since early May, the 31-year-old was allowed to play in the Rangers' weekend series against the Twins, his former team. Garver went 0-for-3 with a walk in Sunday's 6-5 loss and will end the season with a .207/.298/.404 slash line to go with 10 home runs, one stolen base, 24 RBI and 23 runs across 215 plate appearances. He had been limited strictly to serving as a designated hitter since returning May 19 from his initial stint on the injured list, but he should be fully ready to resume catching duties by next spring. Expect the Rangers to formally place Garver on the 10-day IL or 60-day IL in advance of Monday's game against the Athletics.
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Rangers' Mitch Garver: Set for final start of 2022
Rotowire
Garver will serve as the Rangers' designated hitter and No. 7 hitter in Sunday's game against the Twins.
Garver will be making what's expected to be his 45th and final start of the season Sunday, as he's scheduled to undergo season-ending surgery Monday to repair a torn flexor tendon in his right forearm. The injury has prevented Garver from catching since May 8 and has seemingly compromised him at the plate while he's served exclusively as a DH ever since. Since returning May 19 from his initial stint on the injured list, Garver has slashed .215/.303/.458 with seven home runs and a stolen base in 31 games. Fantasy managers in redraft leagues can feel comfortable dropping him after Sunday's game.
