The Texas Rangers placed veteran catcher Danny Jansen on the 10-day injured list on Saturday because of a right forearm strain.
The move was retroactive to Wednesday. In a corresponding move, the Rangers signed another seasoned catcher, Elias Diaz, to a major league contract.
Jansen, 31, said he felt the strain during a start on Monday when Texas edged host St. Louis 2-1. He last played on Tuesday as a defensive replacement in the bottom of the ninth inning in the Rangers’ 7-4 win over the Cardinals.
“Anytime you’re dealing with an arm, it’s always tricky,” Texas manager Skip Schumaker said Saturday. “Hopefully, we got it caught in time and can manage it where it’s not that long of an IL stint.”
Jansen is batting .171 (21-for-123) with three home runs and 12 RBIS in 41 games. For his career, Jansen is a .216 hitter with 91 homers and 268 RBIs in 640 regular-season games for the Toronto Blue Jays (2018-24), Boston Red Sox (2024), Tampa Bay Rays (2025), Milwaukee Brewers (2025) and Rangers.
The Rangers started Kyle Higashioka at catcher on Saturday night in a 6-0 loss to the visiting Cleveland Guardians.
Diaz, 35, last played on May 20 for the Kansas City Royals, who designated him for assignment on May 22. Diaz elected free agency.
He hit .227 (5-for-22) with two homers and five RBIs in 10 games for Kansas City. A 2023 National League All-Star with Colorado, Diaz is batting a career .246 with 73 homers and 331 RBIs in 840 regular-season games for the Pittsburgh Pirates (2015-19), the Rockies (2020-24), San Diego Padres (2024-25) and Royals.
“Again, (Jansen) is gonna be down for a few days, not playing,” Schumaker said. “Diaz 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, Diaz 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.”
