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Thirteen years after starting his first Opening Day game in the Yankees’ farm system, Kyle Higashioka is expected to finally get his chance to do it with the big league team on Friday.
The 31-year-old catcher, who debuted with the Yankees in 2017 and has mostly served as a backup to Gary Sanchez in parts of five seasons since, is set to start the season by catching Gerrit Cole against the Red Sox at Yankee Stadium.
“It’s been my goal every year that I’ve been playing,” Higashioka said this week before the Yankees broke camp. “It’s something everybody dreams about as a kid.”
The Yankees’ seventh-round pick in 2008 has long been known for his defense and strong receiving skills, which have earned him more playing time and important starts over the past two seasons, including playoff games.
But his first Opening Day start in the majors will mark another milestone for Higashioka, who has had a fan in Cole since the ace arrived in The Bronx in 2020.
“Quite magical, right?” Cole said Thursday. “Going into 2020, I don’t know where people had him on their depth chart or whatnot. To see him really take on one of the toughest catching roles in the league, if not the toughest, is pretty [impressive]. I think everybody’s a fan of Kyle, so it’s really exciting for all of us.”
At the onset of spring training, the Yankees opened the door for Higashioka to take on a bigger role by trading Sanchez — who had started each of the past five Yankees Opening Days at catcher — to the Twins.
Higashioka then went on to enjoy a power surge in Grapefruit League play, with seven home runs while batting 11-for-26. His first priority is still defense and working with his pitchers, but the Yankees would certainly benefit from a more consistent Higashioka at the plate.
“I know it’s there,” said Higashioka, a career .183 hitter with a .619 OPS and 20 home runs in 139 games. “I’ve shown it in spurts. But the good offensive players know how to do it on a consistent basis. That’s what I’ve been lacking in past years, just that consistency where I can perform on a day-in, day-out basis. That’s definitely something I’ve been trying to work on and improve at.”
Higashioka’s teammates have taken notice, making him an “easy guy to root for,” DJ LeMahieu said.
“He just looks like he’s in a really good place right now,” LeMahieu said. “He hits a lot of fly balls, so he’s probably not going to be an average guy. But if he has elite defense — which he does, everyone likes throwing to him — if he can hit 20-25 homers, what more can you ask?”
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