The Texas Rangers don’t have much depth at catcher and that more change.

The only catcher on the Major League 40-man roster is Danny Jansen, who is signed through 2027. The other presumed catcher is Logan O’Hoppe, who is listed as a designated hitter.

The Rangers’ top catching prospect is 2024 first-round pick Malcolm Moore, who had a great 2026 in the minor leagues. But he likely needs one more season in the minors before he's ready to make a Major League debut.

Kyle Higashioka did not trigger his mutual option and Elias Diaz is a free agent. The Rangers have a need behind the plate — and they know what they’re looking for.

Rangers Seeking Catching Help

MLB Network’s Jon Morosi spoke to Rangers general manager Ross Fenstermaker at the general manager's meetings in Las Vegas earlier this week. He reported that the Rangers are looking for defensive help at both center field and at catcher in free agency.

Center field makes sense. The Rangers announced earlier this month that Evan Carter will have hip labrum surgery and could miss opening day. That leaves the Rangers down a Gold Glove finalist in center field. But looking for defensive help behind the plate also makes sense. Here's why.

While Jansen ranked in the 90th percentile in blocks above average per Statcast, the rest of his defensive numbers were low. He was in the 32nd percentile in caught stealing above average, and even lower in framing and pop time. Diaz was far better in those categories, even in framing, where he was only in the 49th percentile. Diaz’s pop time of 1.89, in the 80th percentile, made him much harder to steal on than Jansen.

As for O’Hoppe, his defensive numbers were awful, including being in the first percentile in blocks above average and framing. His career numbers in those defensive categories are well below the 50th percentile.

Hence the need for defensive help.

Bringing back Diaz could be an option. He slashed .235/.267/.383 with six home runs and 30 RBI. He could be a one-year option.

Many of the free-agent catching options are 30 or older, including Twins backstop Ryan Jeffers, considered the best on the market. He’s a quality bat but his defensive numbers are no better than Jansen. Cincinnati’s Tyler Stephenson is out there but has the same issue as Jansen — a quality blocker who doesn’t score better in other categories.

The best option may be fan favorite Austin Hedges, who was part of the 2023 World Series team. He’s considered a premier defender who had an off year defensively with Cleveland in 2026. In 2025 he was among the best in baseball and caught stealing above average and framing.