Jonah Heim DVOA, Advanced Stats, & Fantasy Rankings

Texas Rangers shortstop Corey Seager and catcher Jonah Heim will both retreat to the bench for Thursday's series finale at Fenway Park against the Boston Red Sox. Josh Smith will handle shortstop and hit leadoff, while Tucker Barnhart will do the catching and hit ninth against Red Sox right-hander Brayan Bello. Since returning from the injured list on May 3, Seager has gone 5-for-19 with a double, three RBI and four runs scored in four games played. The five-time All-Star and two-time World Series MVP has hit a respectable .281 (27-for-96) this year with four homers and nine RBI. Heim gets a breather after starting in each of the team's last 11 games. He's getting more playing time now with Kyle Higashioka (intercostal) on the IL and has taken advantage of it. Smith, who is hitting over .300 in 99 at-bats, will be a DFS sleeper on Thursday in the leadoff spot against Bello.

Texas Rangers catcher Jonah Heim crushed his third home run of the season in the fifth inning of the Rangers' 6-2 win at Wrigley Field on Wednesday afternoon. To keep his bat in the lineup, Heim got the start at designated hitter while Kyle Higashioka handled the catching duties. Heim went 2-for-4 with the two-run blase off Shota Imanaga. On the season, the 29-year-old switch-hitter now sports a .310 batting average, a .310 ISO, a .402 wOBA, and a 45.8% hard-hit rate. He also has tacked on a pair of stolen bases. He has been one of the best hitting catchers so far this season, and getting at-bats at DH will further boost his fantasy value going forward.

Texas Rangers catcher Kyle Higashioka is behind the plate again and will hit eighth on Monday against the Cincinnati Reds and right-hander Carson Spiers at Great American Ball Park, with Jonah Heim retreating to the bench. Through the team's first six games of the 2025 season, Higashioka and Heim have split the catching duties down the middle with three starts apiece. Heim has four hits (two homers) and two RBI in 10 at-bats so far, while Higashioka has gone 2-for-7 with a double and an RBI in his first two starts. The near-even split behind the dish should continue and will keep both catchers fresh throughout the year. However, it's also bad news for both players' fantasy ceiling at the weak catcher position. Higashioka is coming off a career-best year in San Diego with 17 homers and 45 RBI, but fantasy managers can't expect that kind of output again if he's in a timeshare.