Garver activated, Thompson optioned

Catcher Mitch Garver has been activated from the injured list, the Texas Rangers announced today. To make room for him on the active roster, the Rangers have optioned outfielder Bubba Thompson to AAA Round Rock.

Garver’s return today was more or less expected, as he has spent the last week and a half on a rehab assignment with Round Rock, splitting time between catching and DHing. It appears likely that Jonah Heim will still get the majority of the playing time behind the plate, with Garver being a semi-regular DH and backing up Heim.

Thompson being sent down means the Rangers have three catchers currently, with Sandy Leon, who came up when Garver hit the injured list in April, still on the 26 man roster. I imagine that the Rangers want to have a safety net to avoid asking the newly activated Garver to catch too much initially, and Thompson has largely been relegated to late inning defense and pinch running duties the last month. Once Ezequiel Duran returns he will be in the lineup every day at left field or DH. With Garver and potentially Heim getting DH at bats and both Robbie Grossman and Travis Jankowski ahead of Bubba on the depth chart, Bubba likely would have been the odd man out anyway once Duran is activated.