Mitch Garver Begins Rehab Assignment with Frisco

Garver saw his first action in more than a week as he tries to work his way back to the Rangers' roster

Matthew Postins | May 17, 2022

Mitch Garver went 0-for-2 with two walks in his first game of a rehab assignment at Double A Frisco on Tuesday, as he works his way back to the Texas Rangers.

Garver hit third and was the designated hitter for the RoughRiders, who beat Corpus Christi, 13-7.

Garver also scored a run and struck out twice before he left the game.

Mitch Garver and Taylor Hearn

Mitch Garver and Adolis Garcia

Mitch Garver

It was his first game action since May 8, when the Rangers lost to the New York Yankees, 2-1. Garver went 2-for-4 with two doubles in that game. But he also suffered a flexor tendon strain in his right forearm, which led to the Rangers putting him on the injured list on May 9.

Before the injury, Garver had a hitting slash of .205/.292/.346 in 22 games.

Sam Huff, the Rangers’ top catching prospect, took Garver’s place on the Rangers’ roster.

When Garver returns, he’s expected to serve as a designated hitter to start with as the Rangers continue to evaluate his flexor tendon. That would leave the Rangers to make a decision about whether to carry three catchers. The Rangers’ best hitter by average is catcher Jonah Heim, who hit a home run in the Rangers’ 7-4 win over the Los Angeles Angels on Monday.

Jonah Heim

Sam Huff

Huff has already been up-and-down from Triple A Round Rock once this season.

Garver came to the Rangers in a trade in March. The Rangers moved infielder Isiah Kiner-Falefa and right-handed pitcher Ronny Henriquez to the Minnesota Twins to acquire Garver. The former ninth-round pick of the Twins won the 2019 Silver Slugger award for catchers with a hitting slash of .273/.365/.630, along with 31 home runs and 67 RBIs.

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Published May 17, 2022

MATTHEW POSTINS

Matthew Postins is an award-winning sports journalist who covers the Texas Rangers for Fan Nation/SI and also writes about the Houston Astros, Chicago Cubs and Philadelphia Phillies. He also covers the Big 12 for HeartlandCollegeSports.com.