Rangers recall LHP Walter Pennington from Triple-A Round Rock, place RHP Max Scherzer on 15-day injured list

By | August 2, 2024

Arlington, Texas — The Texas Rangers today announced the following roster moves prior to Friday night’s series opener against the Boston Red Sox at Globe Life Field:

Pennington, who was acquired by Texas from Kansas City on Monday in exchange for RHP Michael Lorenzen, has gone 6-3 with 2 saves and a 2.20 ERA (15 ER/61.1 IP) over 38 games/2 starts for Omaha (AAA) and Round Rock (AAA) this season. The 26-year-old southpaw made his Round Rock debut last night, earning a hold after tossing 1.2 scoreless frames (0 H, 1 BB, 2 SO, 20 pitches/12 strikes) in the Express’ 5-2 win over Sugar Land at Dell Diamond.

The left-handed-throwing Pennington made his Major League debut – and only MLB appearance to date – on July 5 of this season at Colorado, retiring both batters he faced and fanning the Rockies’ Nolan Jones for his first MLB strikeout. Pennington was originally signed by the Royals as a minor league free agent on August 19, 2020 and carries a lifetime 22-11 mark, 10 saves, and 3.52 ERA (95 ER/243.0 IP) spanning parts of four minor league seasons in the Kansas City (2021-24) and Texas (2024) organizations.

A Broomfield, Col., native, Pennington pitched collegiately at Colorado School of Mines (Golden, Col.), posting a 24-10 record and 3 saves in 51 games/30 starts over four seasons for the Orediggers. He prepped at Broomfield High School, where he produced a 0.83 ERA (5 ER/42.0 IP) and .323 batting average as a batter during his senior campaign.

Scherzer, who turned 40 years old on Saturday, has gone 2-4 with a 3.89 ERA (17 ER/39.1 IP) and 38 strikeouts/8 walks across 8 appearances/starts since he was activated from the 60-day Injured List (rehab from back surgery) on June 23. The right-hander last worked in Texas’ 1-8 defeat on Tuesday at St. Louis, taking the loss after allowing three runs (all earned) across 4.0 innings pitched.

The two-time World Champion, three-time Cy Young Award winner, and eight-time All-Star has gone 6-6, 3.52 ERA (33 ER/84.1 IP) with 91 strikeouts (9.7 SO/9) in 16 games/starts for the Rangers over the last two seasons (2023-24). He was originally acquired by Texas from the New York Mets in exchange for infielder Luisangel Acuña on July 30, 2023.

Following today’s transactions, the Rangers remain at the 40-man limit on the club’s Major League roster, along with five players on the 60-day Injured List: Evan Carter, Carson Coleman, Jacob deGrom, Tyler Mahle, Cole Winn.

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