Texas Rangers Catcher Mitch Garver Starting Saturday Against Phillies

Mitch Garver will finish out the Texas Rangers' first weekend series of 2023 with two starts against the Philadelphia Phillies.

Texas Rangers catcher Mitch Garver wasn’t in the Opening Day lineup on Thursday. Rangers manager Bruce Bochy opted for Brad Miller at designated hitter, citing a lefty-on-lefty matchup.

That paid off. Miller hit a home run in the 11-7 win over the Philadelphia Phillies.

He also went with Jonah Heim at catcher.

Neither of those moves should be seen as abnormal. For the past couple of weeks, Bochy has been consistent that Heim would get the higher number of starts at catcher.

The Rangers remain comfortable with Garver’s health, as he’s coming off right flexor tendon surgery last offseason. And they have a plan for the next two games, at least.

“We’re going to take care of Mitch coming off the injury,” Bochy said earlier this week. “It’s fair to say that Jonah will get a little more playing time. It’s being cautious so we can keep Mitch healthy.”

After Friday’s off day, Garver will start behind the plate on Saturday and catch Nathan Eovaldi. Heim will return to catch Martín Pérez on Sunday and Garver will serve as the DH.

Beyond that? No commitments. But Bochy is clearly comfortable with both, and if the ratio for the first series holds, Heim would get two starts at catcher for every for Garver.

This early in the season, Bochy said he wants to ease Garver into the role. In the spring the pair split duties, with Garver catching in 10 games and Heim in 11. The insurance policy is down in Triple-A in veteran catcher Sandy León, who re-signed earlier this week.

Keeping Garver’s bat in the order is important. He has hit better than .250 three times in his career. He also had 31 home runs and 67 RBI in 2019, both career highs.

The Rangers would love to have a consistent Garver in their lineup, whether it’s behind the plate or at DH.

But Miller, another former 30-home run hitter, will get his cuts, too.

“It’s about keeping them all involved and keeping them going,” Bochy said.

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