Where is Kyle Higashioka Now?
Kyle Higashioka currently is a catcher for the New York Yankees. He has been with them since 2017.
In the seventh round of the 2008 MLB draft, the New York Yankees selected him. Instead of going to college, he signed with the Yankees and received a $500,000 signing bonus.
Higashioka batted.170/.228/.327 in 147 at-bats in 2012 with the Class A-Advanced Florida State League’s Tampa Yankees and Trenton Thunder.
Due to Tommy John’s surgery and a broken thumb, he appeared in only 13 games throughout the 2013 and 2014 seasons. After the 2015 season with the Tampa Yankees, he was a minor level free agency. During the offseason, he re-signed with the Yankees.
While playing for Class AA Eastern League team Trenton Thunder in 2016, Higashioka was named Player of the Week. During the season, he was promoted to the Class AAA International League Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders.
Despite his lackluster performance in 2016, the Yankees signed him to their 40-man roster after he finished the season hitting.276 with 21 home runs and 81 RBIs.
Starting in 2017, Higashioka was optioned by the Yankees to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Following an injury to Gary Sánchez, Higashioka was called up to the big leagues and made his major league debut.
On April 10, Higashioka made his MLB debut as a defensive substitute. When Sánchez returned from the disabled list on May 5, he was sent back to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre after going 0-for-18 in nine games for the Yankees.
On June 16, the Yankees brought Higashioka back to the big leagues. While in the minors, he was out for two months with a knee injury and appeared in eight games in August and September.
