Danny Jansen’s road back to the Texas Rangers started Tuesday night with a clean first step at Triple-A Round Rock.
The injured catcher opened a rehab assignment against the Sugar Land Space Cowboys, Houston’s Triple-A club, and did exactly what the Rangers were hoping for: he got through five innings behind the plate and got his two trips to the plate. Jansen hit third in the order, tucked behind center fielder Alejandro Osuna and second baseman Cody Freeman, and finished 1-for-2 with a run scored and a strikeout before Julian Brock took over behind the plate.
How Texas handles him next isn’t exactly spelled out. A day off on Wednesday would fit the usual pattern for a position player starting a rehab assignment, but the Rangers could also use Jansen at designated hitter to squeeze in more at-bats. Because he’s working back from a strained right forearm, back-to-back starts behind the plate this early would seem like a stretch, even if it’s not completely off the table.
If Jansen does catch again Wednesday and strings together consecutive games behind the dish, that would be a notable sign that Texas thinks he’s far enough along to speed things up. There’s still no timetable for his return, but once he’s ready, he’s eligible to be activated. Since he’s on the 60-day injured list, the Rangers would need to clear a spot on the 40-man roster to bring him back.
That’s where things get messy. Texas is currently piecing together the catching job with Elias Diaz and Austin Wynns, while opening day catcher Kyle Higashioka remains on the 10-day injured list with a flexor tendon injury in his arm. When Jansen is ready, the Rangers will have to create room somehow, and because Diaz and Wynns are veteran catchers who can’t be optioned, one of them would have to go through the designated-for-assignment process.
Jansen isn’t an easy roster shuffle either. He has the service time to reject an outright option, and Texas has him under contract for 2027, which makes a DFA or outright release a nonstarter.
The only other catcher under team control for 2027 is Logan O’Hoppe, acquired in a trade last month and now at Round Rock. He’s been one of the hottest hitters in the organization since arriving, though his defense remains a question mark.
Before the injury, Jansen was hitting .171/.277/.309 with three home runs and 12 RBI while working in a tandem with Higashioka.
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