Rangers catcher Mitch Garver will undergo surgery to repair his injured flexor tendon on Monday morning, reports Levi Weaver of The Athletic. This surgery will wipe out the remainder of his season.
The fact that Garver requires the surgery isn’t shocking, as the issue has been known for some time. He has been playing through the injury, able to hit but not throw. He’s played exclusively as a designated hitter or pinch hitter over the past couple months, with his last appearance behind the dish coming on May 8.
Garver spoke to reporters about the situation a few weeks ago, noting that the surgery was inevitable. The only question was about the timing. Since the estimated recovery time for the surgery is 7-8 months, Garver and the Rangers had to decide on one of two courses of action. In one scenario, Garver would play out the remainder of the season hurt and then get surgery in the offseason. That would mean missing part of the 2023 campaign while recuperating. The second course of action would mean getting surgery sooner, in order to hopefully be fully healthy before next season. It seems they have now decided on the latter option.
This is surely a disappointing turn of events for the Rangers, who acquired Garver from the Twins in the offseason trade that sent Isiah Kiner-Falefa to the Twins (who later traded him to the Yankees). Despite the injury, Garver has still been able to hit at an above-average rate, slashing .212/.292/.419 coming into tonight’s game. That amounts to a wRC+ of 103, or 3% above league average, but it’s a far cry from the .256/.358/.517 he put up last year, producing a 137 wRC+. He’ll now miss the final few months of the season while rehabbing.
The lack of Garver shouldn’t totally decimate the Rangers’ season, as Garver’s absence has been filled by the breakout season of Jonah Heim. Acquired from the A’s in the trade that sent Elvis Andrus to Oakland, Heim is hitting .257/.312/.480 on the year for a wRC+ of 125. When combined with his defensive contributions, he’s already produced 1.9 fWAR on the year.
Both Garver and Heim are still under team control next year, giving the club a powerful two-headed catching duo once Garver is healthy. Garver hits right-handed and Heim is a switch-hitter, making it possible that both of them get regular playing time in a platoon, with each of them also getting occasional turns as the designated hitter. Garver will be in his final season of control, making him a potential trade candidate in the offseason, with the club then turning the job over to Heim going forward. However, the uncertainty around Garver’s health will be an obstacle to the Rangers finding a deal to their liking.
This is extremely sad to see. Do you think he will still be tendered a contract by the rangers this offseason or could he be a potential non-tender candidate?
Probably depends on if he’ll be ready for spring training or not.
The reason for getting the surgery now is so he can be ready to catch for opening day next year. No way he is non-tendered, but with the emergence of Jonah Heim, Garver could be a trade candidate. I’m glad he is getting the surgery now and hope that will open up playing time for a young Ranger, like recalling Zeke Duran or Sam Huff.
I agree, I wrote that comment before the article had the timetable on it.
He will be tendered. He is a very good hitter and capable catcher with some pretty solid framing skills. Catchers that can actually hit and that are competent behind the plate are few and far between.
Jeez tough break for the Rangers
He’s literally playing in the Rangers-Twins game right now. This report makes no sense.
Report says Monday morning for the surgery
“He has been playing through the injury, able to hit but not throw. He’s played exclusively as a designated hitter or pinch hitter over the past couple months…”
Team decided it was for the best. Would need surgery eventually. This way he is ready of 2023.
Literally the first sentence says he will have the surgery on Monday
Pay attention. Surgery Monday. Reading is important.
He mashes lefties so well I almost think a conversion to 1B/DH might be apt. He is a legit DH option no matter the pitcher imo and against a lefty starter he’s a no brainer
can someone explain to me why the rangers paid all of that money for Seager and Semien?
Well, Seager hit the go ahead home run so the Rangers would win tonight…
Because they have it. ….
Have you watched any Rangers baseball since Semien broke out of his slump last month? He’s been nasty. Seager is having his worst year at the plate and is still better than most SS in baseball, we are fine lol.
Signing above market contracts to veteran players who’ll be leaving their prime when/if a team reaches a contention window is a Rangers/Rockies/Diamondbacks special. It’s a savvy move made by front offices that are in way over their heads and know that 70-80 win seasons are enough for them to convince lazy, uninvolved ownership groups to let them keep their jobs in perpetuity.
Starting to think it’s coaching staff, not players. Wee Willie Calhoun crying is starting to make sense. U can’t push every player to be a homerun hitter at the expense of a .240 avg. Seager is perfect example. Good chance he has highest homerun total of his career, and lowest avg of his career
Remember we poached these hitting coaches from the Giants. These guys made a fairly unimpressive Giants roster into a contender, that is why Ecker won 21 coach of the year. It is certainly not the coaches. I think it has more to do with the slump guys often go through when they sign a big contract and join a new team.
Look at the top 5 SS signings from last year, Seager is outhitting all of them except Correa and Carlos is basically on a contract year.
I’m not just referring to semien and seager, though. More seager than semien but also the .240ish team batting avg
noone cares avout batting average. The team is averaging 6 runs a game lately, we are fine.
Rangers should have never traded for him anyway. Sam Huff should have been the guy. Nice to see Heim breakout.
Sam Huff is definetly not ready. His last few games at the plate before he was sent down were pretty rough. He’s a good young prospect but that is kind of it at the moment.
Still could’ve went trevino and heim. That trevino trade was stupid, but guess we owed them one for Gallo trade
why? because Trevino had displayed any signs that he was capable of being a useful hitter – certainly not. Sometimes guys have good seasons and its tough to predict, I can’t really fault the FO for that one.
Huff never really got a fair shake or any regular playing time. Called up…sent down. Called up…sent down.
Hard to do anything good at the dish when you’re not in the lineup enough to get into any sort of groove.
He was never given a chance to show anything. Constantly promoted, sent down, called up, sit on bench. And how good of hitter do u need to be to be a backup catcher, or given a season to show what he could do in full time role. Hindsight is 20/20 but I never liked this trade. I maybe wrong, I don’t know anything about the prospect we got in that trade. But trevino for a reunion never did much for me
Reunion=abreu
Yeah but we don’t want him to be a backup catcher. He wouldn’t get enough atbats to develop in the majors. Just look at the current backup playing today Viloria, he has gotten in 4 games this year because Jonah has been so good. Huff needs to hit in AAA and figure out how to layoff sliders away, he was an automatic out his last 2 weeks in Arlington once pitchers figured him out.