Former Texas 2019 draft selection made Major League debut with Cleveland in 2025
Arlington, Texas — The Texas Rangers today announced that the club has acquired right-handed pitcher Zak Kent from the St. Louis Cardinals via waiver claim.
Kent, 27, was acquired by St. Louis via waiver claim from the Cleveland Guardians on December 5 before being designated for assignment by the Cardinals on January 6. He made his Major League debut with Cleveland over 12 relief appearances in 2025, going 1-0 with a 4.58 ERA (9 ER/17.2 IP), 16 strikeouts, and 8 walks. Kent also appeared in 34 games with the Guardians’ Triple-A Columbus affiliate last season, posting a 2.84 ERA (12 ER/38.0 IP) that paced the Clippers’ staff (min. 15.0 IP).
The right-hander embarks on his second stint in the Rangers organization after spending the first four seasons of his professional career (2019, 2021-23) with Texas minor league affiliates. During his time in the Rangers chain, Kent logged a 9-12 record, 4.07 ERA (117 ER/258.2 IP), 288 strikeouts, and a .243 opponent batting average in 68 games/59 starts, ranking among Rangers farmhands in that span (min. 200.0 IP) in strikeout to walk ratio (5th, 3.31), innings (6th), and ground ball rate (6th, 45.4%). A native of Henrico, Va., Kent was originally selected by Texas in the 9th round of the 2019 MLB Draft from the Virginia Military Institute.
With today’s transaction, the Rangers have 40 players on the club’s Major League roster.
