Kent, 28 in February, returns to his original organization. The Rangers drafted him in 2019. In November 2022, he was awarded a 40-man roster spot to keep him out of the Rule 5 draft. In March 2024, he was traded to the Guardians for international bonus pool space.
He made his major league debut with Cleveland in 2025, allowing nine earned runs in 17 2/3 innings. He averaged about 90 miles per hour with both his four-seamer and sinker, while also throwing a slider and a curveball. In the minors, he showed great strikeouts, but also a lack of control. He threw 38 Triple-A innings last year with an ERA of 2.84. He dished out free passes at a huge 13.2% clip, but also struck out 31.4% of batters and got grounders on 54% of balls in play.
The Guards pushed him off their roster. The cardinals claimed him off waivers in early December. St. Louis designated Kent for assignment in the acquisition this week Justin Brouwel from Cleveland.
Kent still has an option, so the Rangers don’t have to keep him on the big league roster. He gives them an extra arm in their bullpen mix with some roster flexibility. He only has 37 days of big-league service time, so he could be retained well into the future if he holds his 40-man spot and has a good season.
Photo courtesy of Ken Blaze, Imagn Images
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