Rangers Promote Former Cy Young Finalist Patrick Corbin Amid Injury to Jack Leiter
Veteran pitcher Patrick Corbin is back in the majors. The Texas Rangers elevated the former Washington Nationals star to their active roster on Friday after starter Jack Leiter was placed on the 15-day injured list with a blister on his right middle finger.
Corbin, a 35-year-old lefty and two-time All-Star, is set to debut for the Rangers next week at Wrigley Field against the Chicago Cubs. He signed a one-year deal with Texas in mid-March and had been working his way back into form at Triple-A Round Rock, skipping spring training appearances. However, Leiter’s injury has fast-tracked his return to MLB.
Originally drafted by the Los Angeles Angels in the second round of the 2009 draft, Corbin holds a career 103–131 record with a 4.51 ERA over 12 big-league seasons. From 2011 to 2019, he was among the game’s top starters, compiling a 3.80 ERA and 16.2 bWAR across nearly 1,150 innings. His performance earned him a six-year, $140 million contract with the Nationals in 2018.
Unfortunately, Corbin’s career took a downturn after the Nationals’ World Series run. Over the past five seasons, he went just 33–70 with a 5.62 ERA and -2.3 bWAR. Still, his willingness to take the ball every fifth day earned him the respect of Washington fans, who gave him a standing ovation in his final outing last September.
Now with the Rangers, Corbin will have a chance to show he still has something left — whether that’s in Texas or somewhere else down the line.
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