ARLINGTON, Texas (June 6) — The Texas Rangers are signing veteran catcher Elias Díaz on a major league deal. News of the signing was first reported by Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News. The Rangers designated Sam Haggerty for assignment Friday to open the 40-man roster spot. With Danny Jansen and Kyle Higashioka already on the roster, the Rangers are looking at a three-catcher setup for now.
He is best known for his surprise All-Star Game MVP in 2023 with the Colorado Rockies. He brings a good throwing arm and has graded as an above-average receiver in recent years. In 2025 he was with the San Diego Padres, slashing .204/.270/.337 in 283 plate appearances over 106 games. He is comfortable in a depth role after serving as the Kansas City Royals’ third catcher behind Salvador Perez and Carter Jensen earlier this season. The Royals put him on waivers in recent weeks.
After starting the year in Triple-A Omaha, Diaz has a slash line of .227/.261/.591 in 23 plate appearances over 10 games for the Royals after joining their major league roster. Diaz came up to be the Royals’ third catcher.
Danny Jansen, whose health is now in question after not playing all week, is slashing .171/.277/.309 on the year. Higashioka, on the other hand, has been swinging a hot bat lately, including a homer in Friday’s 3–2 win over the Cleveland Guardians.
Scrambling for a Backstop
For the moment, the Rangers don’t have any other catchers on their 40-man roster aside from Jansen and Higashioka. None of their catchers at Triple-A Round Rock appear to be ready to take on a regular backup catcher role in the major leagues. The addition of Diaz will come in handy, as the Rangers will spend the majority of June on the road. The team is currently two games out of first place in the AL West behind the Seattle Mariners.
