ARLINGTON -- The Rangers’ lack of depth at the catching position was bound to come up eventually. And on Saturday it did, when Texas announced that catcher Danny Jansen is going on the injured list with a right forearm strain.
Jansen said he felt it after catching Jacob deGrom’s start in St. Louis on June 1 and didn’t bounce back well when he entered as a defensive replacement the following day. He ultimately went for scans, which showed elbow inflammation, Jansen said.
The 31-year-old -- who signed a two-year deal with the Rangers this offseason – has hit just .171 in 41 games for the Rangers this season. He leads the catching corps with 36 starts behind the plate.
“Anytime you're dealing with an arm, it's always tricky,” said manager Skip Schumaker. “Hopefully we got it caught in time, and can manage it where it's not that long of an IL stint.”
With only two catchers on the 40-man roster and little depth in Triple-A, the Rangers also signed veteran backstop Elias Díaz to a Major League deal. The 35-year-old was designated for assignment by the Royals on May 22 and elected free agency shortly thereafter.
Díaz, a 2023 National League All-Star with the Rockies, appeared in just 10 games for Kansas City this season, hitting .227 with an .852 OPS, two home runs and two doubles.
He’s appeared in parts of 12 Major League seasons with Pittsburgh (2015-19), Colorado (2020-24), San Diego (2024-25) and Kansas City (2026), slashing .246/.300/.385 with 73 home runs and 331 RBIs in 840 games. From 2021-25, he caught 65 runners attempting to steal, ranking 3rd among NL catchers during the span behind J.T. Realmuto (88) and Will Smith (82).
“Again, [Jansen] is gonna be down for a few days, not playing,” Schumaker said. “Díaz 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, Díaz 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.”