Years from now, Carter Baumler likely won’t need to think for too long when recalling where he was when he found out he made his first big league roster.
Texas Rangers manager Skip Schumaker made the moment memorable by sharing the news during a mound visit Monday in Arlington, Texas. That occurred in the fifth inning of a 3-2 exhibition victory over the Kansas City Royals in front of more than 14,000 fans at Globe Life Field.
“I wasn’t expecting it,” Baumler said on the Rangers Sports Network broadcast. “I was like, why is he coming out here? He got on the mound and told me I made the team. So, yeah, pretty cool.”
Skip Schumaker told Rule 5 pick Carter Baumler that he made the Rangers Opening Day roster during a mound visit pic.twitter.com/19J10vk39Q— MLB (@MLB) March 24, 2026
Baumler entered the game with the Rangers leading 2-0 in the top of the fifth inning and forced ground outs by Royals right fielder Starling Marte and second baseman Jonathan India. Baumler was preparing to face left fielder Isaac Collins when Schumaker signaled a visit to the mound.
Several Rangers players surrounded Baumler as Schumaker shared words with the 24-year-old prospect, who broke into a smile upon hearing that he made the big league roster. His Rangers teammates congratulated him.
“What a special way,” Baumler said. “It caught me totally off-guard. That was pretty cool.”
The right-handed pitcher struck out Collins on four pitches. He was replaced by fellow relief pitcher Tyler Alexander in the top of the sixth.
Baumler, the Rangers’ No. 25 prospect, was 1-0 with four hits and one (unearned) run allowed over 9 1/3 innings in spring training. He also issued 10 strikeouts over his eight appearances.
The fifth-round pick by the Baltimore Orioles in the 2020 MLB Draft but did not play in the minor leagues that year because the season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He also missed the 2021 campaign due to an elbow injury.
A moment Carter Baumler will never forget ❤️ https://t.co/nHbWT8XFFd pic.twitter.com/klv5EePo9l— MLB (@MLB) March 24, 2026
The Pittsburgh Pirates selected Baumler in the 2025 Rule 5 draft and traded him to the Rangers in December. Baumler was 7-1 with a 3.05 ERA over his first 49 minor league appearances. He was 2-0 with a 2.04 ERA over 28 appearances last year at the AA, A+ and Rookie classes.
“I went through a lot of hard times over the last few years,” Baumler said. “It was pretty cool, pretty special. … A few years ago, I never would have expected this.
“Looking back, I’m glad I kept my head down and kept hammering away.”
The Rangers will host the Royals in another exhibition matchup at 2:05 p.m. EDT Tuesday in Arlington. They will battle the Philadelphia Phillies in their regular-season opener at 4:15 p.m. Thursday in Philadelphia.
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