Kyle Higashioka has had some memorable experiences at the Texas Rangers’ home stadium. He caught a no-hitter there and hit a home run on the same day Aaron Judge set the American League season record with his 62nd home run.
Now, Higashioka will be playing at Globe Life Park regularly after signing a two-year, $13.5 million contract with the Rangers. They want to pair the 34-year-old catcher with All-Star and Gold Glove winner Jonah Heim.
“So many good memories have happened for me personally in this ballpark. It’s like I would always look forward to coming here every year,” Higashioka said on Tuesday, the day after his deal with Texas was announced. “It’s funny that I’m actually going to be on the team. … Hopefully ready to make some more (memories).”
Higashioka spent his first 16 professional seasons with the New York Yankees, including his first seven seasons in the major leagues. He is coming off his only season with San Diego, where he hit .220 with career-highs of 17 home runs and 45 RBIs while playing 84 games for the Padres. San Diego had acquired him from the Yankees in a trade last December that sent Juan Soto to New York.
Higashioka became the Padres’ primary catcher during the second half of the season and played through a playoff run that ended in the National League Division Series against the eventual World Series champions, the Los Angeles Dodgers.
“I settled into a pretty good rhythm there and was able to get the bat going a little bit,” he said.
Texas will pay Higashioka $5.75 million in 2025 and $6.75 million in 2026. The contract includes a mutual option for 2027 worth $7 million, with a $1 million buyout. Higashioka could also earn a $250,000 performance bonus in any season where he plays 81 games.
“We see it as a situation where him and Jonah are going to complement one another, more of a timeshare to equal playing time,” Rangers general manager Ross Fenstermaker said. “I think a lot of that will be driven by performance, but I think they both offer some unique traits and have their own abilities.”
Higashioka was the Yankees’ catcher when Corey Kluber threw a no-hitter against the Rangers on May 19, 2021. He was also behind the plate when New York’s Domingo Germán pitched a perfect game at Oakland on June 28, 2023.
Among only 13 men to catch both a perfect game and a no-hitter, Higashioka was with the Yankees during Aaron Judge’s record-setting 2022 season. Judge broke Roger Maris’ American League record with his 62nd home run on October 4, the second-to-last day of the regular season. Higashioka had hit a home run in the first game of that doubleheader.
Jonah Heim, who is a switch-hitter, was an All-Star and Gold Glove winner in 2023 when the Rangers won their first World Series title. Heim played 131 games in each of the last two seasons. He hit .258 with 18 home runs and 95 RBIs during their championship season but dropped to .220 with 13 home runs and 59 RBIs this year.
“We have a lot of confidence that he’s going to bounce back and be an All-Star type catcher for us,” Fenstermaker said. “We’re looking forward to complementing him with somebody like Kyle, who I think will help elevate and create one of the better catching tandems in the game.”
