Rangers activate catcher Jonah Heim

LHP Hyeon-jong Yang returned to Triple-A Round Rock; Club signs RHP Chase Anderson to minor league contract

August 31st, 2021

Arlington, Texas — The Texas Rangers today announced the following roster moves prior to Tuesday night’s game against the Colorado Rockies at Globe Life Field:

  • Catcher Jonah Heim activated from COVID-19 Related Injured List.
  • Left-handed pitcher Hyeon-jong Yang returned to Triple-A Round Rock.
  • Right-handed pitcher Chase Anderson signed to minor league contract and assigned to Triple-A Round Rock.

Heim is in tonight’s lineup as the starting catcher, and he is seeking his first action since the Rangers game on August 20 at Boston. He has batted .208 with 8 home runs and 23 RBI over 68 games for Texas this season, making 59 starts at catcher and 2 as the designated hitter. Heim was scratched from the starting lineup on August 21 at Boston and was on the Injured List from August 24-30. He started 16 of 20 games for the Rangers from July 30-August 20, making 14 starts at catcher and 2 as the designated hitter in that span. His 7 home runs as a catcher this season have set a Rangers rookie record for the position.

Yang was added to the roster as a replacement player last Tuesday, with his lone appearance on Saturday vs. Houston (2.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R) marking his first action with Texas since June 11. Yang has a 0-3 record with a 5.23 ERA over 9 games/4 starts spanning two stints for the Rangers this season (April 26-June 15 and August 24-30) in his first career Major League action after a 14-year run in the Korean Baseball Organization.

Anderson, 33, has spent the year in the Philadelphia organization before he was unconditionally released on Sunday. Anderson was 2-4 with a 6.75 ERA over 14 games/9 starts for the Phillies this season and also went 1-2 with a 5.71 ERA across 5 starts with Triple-A Lehigh Valley. He was designated for assignment on Thursday ahead of his release. The Wichita Falls native has a career 56-46 record and 4.20 ERA spanning 190 games/176 starts over 8 Major League seasons with Arizona (2014-15), Milwaukee (2016-19), Toronto (2020), and Philadelphia (2021).