ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Texas Rangers manager Skip Shoemaker’s visit to Carter Baumler’s mound wasn’t to keep the rookie right-hander out of his final spring training game, but to let him know he’d made the Opening Day roster.
Shoemaker walked out of the dugout after Baumler retired the Kansas City Royals’ first two batters in the fifth inning on Monday night. Texas catcher Danny Jansen and all four infielders were also on the mound when the new Rangers manager told the 24-year-old reliever he would start the season in the Texas bullpen.
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“I didn’t expect this. I thought, why is he here? He walked up to the mound and told me I made the team,” Baumler said in a game television interview on the Rangers Sports Network. “I mean, honestly, I thought I was like out of the game…Obviously, whenever the head coach comes out, you’re usually done.”
Jensen slapped the catcher’s glove on Baumler’s chest, and the infielders offered their congratulations. Baumler, looking to make his major league debut after never pitching above Double-A, had a big smile on his face, but he had the presence of mind to strike out Isaac Collins with a 96.8 mph fastball to end the inning.
In his eight spring training games, Baumler allowed one run and struck out 10 in 9 1/3 innings.
When Shoemaker returned to the dugout after Game 3, Baeumler hugged Shoemaker and then his teammates high-fived.
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Baumler, who was drafted by Baltimore in the fifth round of the 2020 amateur draft out of high school in Iowa, underwent Tommy John surgery shortly after. He was with the Orioles from 2022-25 but was left off the Orioles’ 40-man roster last fall. He was drafted by Pittsburgh in the first round of the Rule 5 draft at the December Winter Meetings and was traded to Texas the same day.
“A few years ago I would never have imagined something like this would happen,” Baeumler said. “Looking back… I’m glad I kept my head down and kept working hard.”
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