6 Brett Nicholas C

Nicholas went 2-for-3 with a home run, a walk and three RBI in Thursday's 9-8 win over the White Sox.

Nicholas hit a two-run shot in the first inning and forced in what turned out to be the winning run on a bases-loaded walk in the seventh. The catcher has now homered in each of his past two games played while driving in six runs over that span. Nicholas has already made six starts behind the plate this month and will take an even larger share of the work away from Robinson Chirinos if he continues to produce at the dish.

Nicholas went 2-for-4 with a home run and three RBI in Saturday's 8-3 win over the Astros.

Following a 21-minute rain delay in the first inning, Nicholas kicked off the scoring for the evening with a three-run blast off Mike Fiers in the second, marking his first long ball of the season. Nicholas was picking up his second start behind the plate in three games, and his performance Saturday only gives manager Jeff Banister further reason to hand the 29-year-old more regular at-bats. Robinson Chirinos has served as the team's primary catcher following the July 30 trade of Jonathan Lucroy, but with a 5-for-25 (.200 average) showing at the dish since that time, he may have seen his hold on the role loosen.

Nicholas went 1-for-4 with a double and a run scored in Friday's 8-4 loss to the Twins.

Nicholas was making just his second start behind the plate since being recalled from Triple-A Round Rock on July 24. The 29-year-old had initially served as the Rangers' third catcher, but the July 30 trade of Jonathan Lucroy to the Rockies will now lock Nicholas in as the primary backup to Robinson Chirinos. Expect Nicholas to pick up one or two starts per week, unless Chirinos' ongoing offensive struggles eventually prompt manager Jeff Banister to roll with a timeshare at catcher.

Nicholas was recalled from Triple-A Round Rock on Monday, T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com reports.

The Rangers are labeling backup catcher Robinson Chirinos as day-to-day after X-rays on his sprained left ankle came back negative, but Nicholas will still earn his first call-up of the season to act as insurance behind the plate. Jonathan Lucroy is slated to handle the bulk of the duties at catcher, so Nicholas won't be in line for more than a start or two a week even if it's determined that Chirinos will require a trip to the disabled list. Nicholas is batting .311/.353/.469 over 293 plate appearances this season at Round Rock.

Nicholas (knee) was activated from the 10-day disabled list on Friday and optioned to Triple-A Round Rock.

After undergoing surgery in March for a torn meniscus in his left knee and getting through a success rehab assignment earlier this week, Nicholas is now on the verge of concluding his recovery. He'll look to provide the Rangers with some organizational catching depth.