The Texas Rangers have sidelined veteran backstop Danny Jansen for a minimum of 10 days due to a right forearm strain, the team announced Saturday.
The injury designation was made effective Wednesday. To fill the roster spot, the Rangers have brought in experienced catcher Elias Diaz on a major league deal.
The 31-year-old Jansen reported feeling the injury during Monday’s contest when Texas narrowly defeated St. Louis 2-1 on the road. His final appearance came Tuesday when he entered as a defensive substitute in the ninth inning of the Rangers’ 7-4 victory against the Cardinals.
“Anytime you’re dealing with an arm, it’s always tricky,” Texas manager Skip Schumaker said Saturday. “Hopefully, we got it caught in time and can manage it where it’s not that long of an IL stint.”
This season, Jansen has struggled offensively, posting a .171 average (21-for-123) with three homers and 12 RBIs across 41 contests. Throughout his major league tenure, Jansen carries a .216 batting average with 91 home runs and 268 RBIs over 640 regular-season appearances with the Toronto Blue Jays (2018-24), Boston Red Sox (2024), Tampa Bay Rays (2025), Milwaukee Brewers (2025) and Rangers.
Kyle Higashioka got the starting nod behind the plate Saturday evening as the Rangers fell 6-0 to the visiting Cleveland Guardians.
The 35-year-old Diaz was most recently with the Kansas City Royals, making his final appearance on May 20 before being designated for assignment two days later. He subsequently chose free agency.
During his brief stint with Kansas City, Diaz managed a .227 batting average (5-for-22) with two home runs and five RBIs in 10 appearances. The 2023 National League All-Star selection with Colorado owns a career .246 average with 73 homers and 331 RBIs across 840 regular-season games with the Pittsburgh Pirates (2015-19), the Rockies (2020-24), San Diego Padres (2024-25) and Royals.
“Again, (Jansen) is gonna be down for a few days, not playing,” Schumaker said. “Diaz is here for a reason. He’s a veteran catcher, just in case Danny can’t play today, so we’ll go with that. Again, Diaz is a veteran catcher that has been around a long time, has kept in shape, ready to go. I anticipate him, if active, playing at some point in this series.”
