Garver is absent from the lineup for Tuesday's AL Wild Card Series opener against the Rays.
Garver was the Rangers' primary designated hitter down the stretch but will begin Game 1 versus the Rays on the bench. Manager Bruce Bochy has decided he likes the matchup of Robbie Grossman against Tyler Glasnow better.
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Rangers' Mitch Garver: Not in starting nine
Rotowire
Garver will hit the bench Saturday against Seattle.
Garver hasn't caught a game since Sept. 2 but has served as the designated hitter for all but two games since that date. After a pair of hitless outings, he's seemingly due for a rest, so Robbie Grossman will take his spot in the lineup.
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Rangers' Mitch Garver: Perfect at plate Monday
Rotowire
Garver went 3-for-3 with a solo home run and a walk in a 5-1 victory versus the Angels on Monday.
Garver was the only Texas player with multiple hits in the contest, and his sixth-inning solo shot gave the team its first lead. The veteran is working on a modest five-game hitting streak, during which he's batting an even .500 (8-for-16) with a pair of homers and five RBI. Garver has played in just 82 games this season, but he's been very productive with 19 long balls and 50 RBI along with a .281/.381/.525 slash line.
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Rangers' Mitch Garver: Returns to lineup, homers
Rotowire
Garver went 1-for-3 with a walk, a home run and a second run scored in Wednesday's 15-5 win over Boston.
Garver, who was given a day off Tuesday amid a fallow stretch, returned to the lineup Wednesday and homered during Texas' six-run second inning that wiped out an early 4-0 deficit. It was his 18th home run in 78 games, the most homers and games played since the 2019 season. Garver was in a 1-for-19 stretch before Tuesday's off day.
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Rangers' Mitch Garver: Not starting Tuesday
Rotowire
Garver is out of the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Red Sox.
The move to the bench snaps a run of 19 straight starts for Garver, during which he posted an .877 OPS with five home runs, 10 RBI, 12 runs and a 14:16 BB:K. Robbie Grossman will serve as the designated hitter Tuesday while Evan Carter starts in left field.
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Rangers' Mitch Garver: Batting cleanup Friday
Rotowire
Garver (foot) is serving as the DH and batting cleanup Friday at Cleveland.
Garver was lifted from Thursday's series finale against the Blue Jays after fouling a ball off his left foot, but X-rays came back negative and he won't miss a contest, serving as the designated hitter for Friday's series opener versus the Guardians. Jonah Heim will do the catching for the visiting Rangers.
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Rangers' Mitch Garver: Exits Thursday's game
Rotowire
Garver was removed from Thursday's game against the Blue Jays due to left foot soreness, Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reports.
Garver fouled a ball off his foot in the fifth inning and was struggling to run to first base later in the at-bat. The severity of the issue is unclear, though there should be more clarity after he undergoes imaging.
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Rangers' Mitch Garver: Possible waiver wire pickups
Rotowire
A point I may not have stressed enough when I brought up Garver in Waiver Wire articles past is that there's almost no overstating his upside in his current role. His start Wednesday was his 25th in the Rangers' past 26 games, which is itself enough to make a catcher-eligible player a Fantasy stud, but this particular catcher-eligible player has a better home run rate than Will Smith for his career. Garver added another home run Wednesday, his ninth (to go along with a .287 batting average) during that 26-game stretch, and at this point, it's not unreasonable to start him over struggling studs like Sean Murphy or even J.T. Realmuto.
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Rangers' Mitch Garver: Championship pickups
Rotowire
Playing time has gone from a weakness to a strength for Garver so quickly that much of the Fantasy-playing world hasn't caught up to it yet. He has started 24 of the last 25 games for the Rangers, making him the No. 1 catcher during that time, and that's enough for you to consider starting him over underachievers like J.T. Realmuto and Sean Murphy right now.
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Rangers' Mitch Garver: Possible waiver wire pickups
Rotowire
It's true that Mitch Garver has burned us more often than not in the years since he homered 31 times for the Twins, but the work he's done beginning with Jonah Heim's injury in late July has already made 2023 his best season since then. The clincher was his 4-for-4 two-homer performance Sunday, giving him a .316 (30 for 95) batting average, 10 homers and 1.083 OPS since the start of August. Of course, Heim is back now and has been for a couple weeks, but Garver's performance in his absence has earned him the right to DH most days. Between that and catcher, he has started 17 of the Rangers' past 18 games. Naturally, it's his catcher eligibility that makes him most valuable in Fantasy. Most players at that position aren't playing as much as he now is, which is to say nothing for the productivity. Unless you have a true stud catcher, Garver probably represents an upgrade.
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Rangers' Mitch Garver: Lights up former team
Rotowire
Garver went 4-for-4 with two homers, four RBI and two runs scored in Sunday's 6-5 victory over Minnesota.
Garver mashed against his former team, collecting his first four-hit game since April of 2019 as a member of the Twins. His three-run blast in the first put the Rangers on the board, and he later added a solo shot in the seventh that helped Texas regain the lead. Garver has been on a power surge since the start of August with a .313 average, 10 homers, 20 RBI and 16 runs scored in 95 at-bats.
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Rangers' Mitch Garver: Power surge continues
Rotowire
Garver went 1-for-2 with two walks, a solo home run and a second run scored in Tuesday's 2-1 win over the Mets.
All the scoring came late, as Garver broke open a scoreless tie by taking Drew Smith deep in the seventh inning before scoring what proved to be the winning run on an Ezequiel Duran single in the top of the ninth. Garver has gone yard four times in his last six games, all solo shots, and he's slashed a stellar .317/.404/.659 through 23 games in August with eight of his 13 homers on the year and 16 of his 36 RBI. Even with Jonah Heim healthy, the Rangers will continue finding room for Garver in the starting nine as long as he's locked in, either at catcher or DH.
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Rangers' Mitch Garver: Possible waiver wire pickups
Rotowire
Two weeks into Jonah Heim's return from the IL, it's pretty clear that Garver's playing time isn't going anywhere. He's started 12 straight games for the Rangers, emerging as their primary DH. He's been everything they could ask for at the plate, too, connecting for two more home runs over the weekend to give him seven (to go along with a .313 batting average) in August. The power surge is nothing new for the 32-year-old, who homered 31 times in just 93 games in 2019 and has a higher career home run rate (per plate appearance) than Will Smith. While injuries have slowed Garver in the past, they're less likely out of the DH spot. Yainer Diaz is my preferred catcher pickup right now, but it's not crazy to think Garver could also be a top-10 option the rest of the way.
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Rangers' Mitch Garver: Launches 12th homer
Rotowire
Garver went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in Saturday's 6-2 win over the Twins.
Garver's home run was his third in his last four games, though they've all been solo shots and he has just one additional hit in that span. The 32-year-old is up to 12 home runs, 35 RBI, 27 runs scored and 10 doubles while slashing .278/.361/.515 through 57 contests this season. With Jonah Heim slumping since returning from a wrist injury, Garver could push for more time behind the dish -- he played there Saturday for the first time since Sunday. In any case, Garver's power production should at least keep him as the Rangers' top option for designated-hitter duties.
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Rangers' Mitch Garver: Clubs homer Tuesday
Rotowire
Garver went 2-for-5 with a solo home run in Tuesday's 6-3 loss to the Diamondbacks.
Garver's recent strong stretch ended with a three-game slump in which he went 0-for-12, but he was back to bashing Tuesday. His homer was his fourth of the month and 10th of the season. The catcher is at a .277/.357/.495 slash line with 33 RBI, 25 runs scored and 10 doubles over 54 contests this year. Garver has seen most of his playing time at designated hitter since Jonah Heim returned from a wrist injury.
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Rangers' Mitch Garver: Continues hot stretch
Rotowire
Garver went 1-for-3 with a solo home run, a walk and two runs scored in Friday's 9-8 loss against the Brewers.
Garver's fourth-inning home run was his ninth of the season. He handled the starting role behind the plate while Jonah Heim spent more than two weeks on the shelf with a wrist injury, and Garver is continuing to see a consistent role as the Rangers ease Heim back into the lineup. Garver has rewarded the Rangers by hitting safely in all but two of his last 17 starts with an on-base percentage of .458, four home runs and 12 RBI during that stretch.
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Rangers' Mitch Garver: Drives in three Saturday
Rotowire
Garver went 3-for-5 with three RBI and a run scored in Saturday's 9-3 win over the Giants.
Garver's RBI single in the fourth inning put the Rangers ahead 2-1, and he knocked in another pair of singles with another single in the ninth. Across his 13 games since Jonah Heim (wrist) went on the injured list, Garver has hit .348 (16-for-46) with three home runs and 10 RBI. He's up to a .282/.356/.487 slash line with eight homers, 30 RBI, 21 runs scored and eight doubles across 46 contests this season.
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Rangers' Mitch Garver: Goes deep in win
Rotowire
Garver went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Friday's 2-1 win over the Giants.
Garver homered just one pitch after Nathaniel Lowe opened the scoring in the sixth inning. After a stretch where he hit safely in 12 of 13 games, Garver had gone 0-for-6 across his last two contests before snapping the mini-skid. The catcher is up to eight homers, 27 RBI, 20 runs scored, eight doubles and a .272/.349/.483 slash line over 169 plate appearances this season. He continues to see a starting role while Jonah Heim (wrist) is out, though Garver could see more time at designated hitter once the Rangers' top backstop is back.
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Rangers' Mitch Garver: On bench Wednesday
Rotowire
Garver is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game in Oakland.
The Rangers are playing a day game after a night game, and Garver had started 12 of the previous 13 contests, so he appears to be receiving a breather Wednesday. Sam Huff will do the catching for Jordan Montgomery.
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Rangers' Mitch Garver: Doubles twice in win
Rotowire
Garver went 3-for-4 with two doubles and two RBI in Monday's 5-3 win over the Athletics.
Garver extended his hitting streak to eight games, a span in which he's gone 12-for-29 (.414) with five extra-base hits and six RBI. The catcher has taken over as the Rangers' No. 1 behind the dish with Jonah Heim (wrist) on the injured list. Garver's up to a .284/.365/.489 slash line with seven home runs, eight doubles, 26 RBI and 19 runs scored through 159 plate appearances this season.
