The Texas Rangers added some veteran catcher depth on Tuesday, signing Austin Wynns to a minor league contract. The move comes as the team deals with injuries at the big league level and looks for someone who can step in if needed.
Wynns has been around the block this season. This is his fourth organization in 2026 and his third team in the AL West alone. He started the year with the Athletics, got cut in early May after a slow start, then signed a minor league deal with the Angels. The Angels traded him to Atlanta for cash, and he hit free agency again when the Braves released him after Drake Baldwin came back from injury.
For his career, Wynns has played 299 big league games across eight seasons. His bat has never been the draw. He’s a .228 career hitter with 19 home runs and a 67 OPS+. This season has been especially rough. Through 57 plate appearances, he has just four hits in 53 at-bats. But his BABIP is .103, which is absurdly low — way below his .294 career mark coming into the season. That kind of luck tends to correct itself, at least a little.
Where Wynns earns his keep is behind the plate. He blocks pitches well, calls a solid game, and has thrown out runners at a rate above 30% in both the majors and minors. In eight Triple-A seasons, he’s hit .277/.363/.410. That’s not nothing.
Right now, the Rangers have Kyle Higashioka and Elias Diaz catching while Danny Jansen recovers from a forearm strain. Jansen is expected back at some point, and when he is, Diaz’s roster spot could be in question. Adding Wynns gives Texas a fallback option who knows the division and can handle a backup role without much fuss.
It’s not a headline-grabbing signing. But for a team trying to stay afloat while key guys heal, it’s the kind of move that makes sense. Wynns probably won’t see much playing time in Arlington. But if he does, the Rangers know what they’re getting.
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