Texas Rangers Expect All-Star Jonah Heim Back This Season

General manager Chris Young said the Texas Rangers are "optimistic" All-Star catcher Jonah Heim is back from injury this season.

ARLINGTON, Texas – It’s far too early for a prognosis on Jonah Heim, but Texas Rangers general manager Chris Young offered some encouraging words about the injured All-Star catcher.

Heim is currently on the 10-day injured list with a left wrist tendon strain. He felt a “pop” in his wrist swinging the bat a week ago at the Houston Astros and has officially been on the IL since Thursday.

The backstop won’t be coming back when the 10 days are up. The Rangers want to Heim to rest for 2-3 weeks before any reexamination, with season-ending surgery on the table. The hope is that it’s a “pain tolerance” that Heim can play through for the rest of the year before reassessing in the offseason.

“We’re very optimistic that we’ll have Jonah back,” Young said Tuesday. “I can’t tell you when that will be.”

Heim has considered the possibility of missing the rest of the season.

“It’s tough to swallow, but it’s part of the sport and something we’ve got to deal with,” Heim said last week, according to MLB.com.

Heim has been one of the best catchers in baseball, both offensively and defensively, all season. His slash line is .280/.337/.479 with 14 home runs and 70 RBI in 90 games.

The Rangers did address Heim’s loss by dealing for Pittsburgh Pirates catcher Austin Hedges at the trade deadline Tuesday.

“The move for Austin was somewhat related to Jonah’s injury,” Young said. “We feel like we want to carry three catchers.”

Mitch Garver, who homered in Tuesday night’s 2-0 win over the Chicago White Sox, has been handling the primary catching duties since Heim went down. The Rangers also have backup catcher Sam Huff on the roster.

Hedges, who could be available for Wednesday’s second game with the White Sox, will get playing time, according to Young. Hedges is considered one of the better defensive backstops in the game.

“I’m not going to call it an insurance policy, but it’s a rotation between the three while Jonah is out,” Young added.

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