Few players on the Yankees roster will have their 2021 playing time as closely tied to the performance of one of their teammates as Kyle Higashioka. For several years, it has looked as if playing time behind the plate revolved around who would be backing up Gary Sánchez for the next decade. But as Sánchez has struggled to stay on the field due to injuries and poor performance in recent years, a bigger role for the Yankees’ other catchers has emerged.
Higashioka took advantage of those opportunities in 2020 to become Yankees’ ace Gerrit Cole’s preferred catcher for much of the season.