Texas Rangers reliever Carter Baumler learned he had made the Opening Day roster during a mound visit in the middle of an inning. Manager Skip Schumaker delivered the news after Baumler retired the first two batters in the fifth inning of Monday's 3-2 win over the Royals at Globe Life Field. The 24-year-old right-hander, acquired in the Rule 5 Draft, must remain on the roster all season.
ARLINGTON -- Carter Baumler was pitching a perfect fifth inning for the Texas Rangers when manager Skip Schumaker approached the mound with unexpected news. After Baumler induced groundouts from Starling Marte and Jonathan India, Schumaker informed the 24-year-old reliever that he had secured a spot on the Opening Day big league roster -- a moment usually shared privately but staged publicly this time amid smiles and laughs from teammates who gathered around. Baumler then struck out Isaac Collins to cap a flawless frame before the Rangers held on for a 3-2 victory over the Kansas City Royals at Globe Life Field on Monday night. “I turned around, I saw him, I was just caught off guard and didn’t know what was going to happen. And then he told me that and it was just a really cool moment. I’m definitely not going to forget that,” Baumler said. The Rangers had traded for Baumler from the Pittsburgh Pirates during the offseason following his selection in the Rule 5 Draft. Rule 5 rules require the Rangers to keep him on the active roster for the entire season or risk losing him. “You want to make it as memorable as you can,” Schumaker said. “I’ll never forget when I got called up -- the exact moment, the exact game, in Memphis, Tennessee. ... It was just like the most amazing time. I was just trying to think of a special way to tell him.” Baumler posted a strong spring, allowing no runs in 9 1/3 innings over eight Cactus League outings with 10 strikeouts and two walks. Last season across three levels in Baltimore's system, he recorded a 2.04 ERA in 39 2/3 innings. “I'm glad I could share it with other people, and especially out on the mound with [teammates],” Baumler added. “That was just a really cool moment. And it was also really cool, too, that my family was watching, so they got to see it on TV.” The Rangers' home opener is scheduled for April 3.
