Rangers Sign Veteran Pitcher Patrick Corbin Amid Injury Woes

SURPRISE, Ariz. — The Texas Rangers signed left-hander Patrick Corbin to a one-year contract on Tuesday, adding a seasoned veteran to an injury-plagued starting rotation.

Entering his 13th Major League Baseball season, Corbin has faced challenges during his six-year, $140 million contract but remains a two-time All-Star. Notably, he is the only pitcher to make 31 or more starts in every full season since 2017.

To accommodate Corbin on the 40-man roster, the Rangers placed right-hander Jon Gray on the 60-day injured list. Gray suffered a broken wrist after being struck by a line drive during a spring training game last Friday. Additionally, fellow left-hander Jake Latz will also begin the season on the injured list after experiencing elbow soreness that halted his throwing last week.

Injuries impacted the Rangers’ pitching rotation last year. However, the re-signing of veteran pitchers and the anticipated returns of others who have recovered from elbow surgeries had initially put the defending 2023 World Series champions in a favorable position entering spring training.

“A competitor, by all accounts, just a winning personality, somebody who’s going to fit in our clubhouse well,” said Chris Young, president of baseball operations for the Rangers. “We also believe that there are some things we saw in the second half of last year with his performance that indicate he can continue that and be a very serviceable major league starting pitcher, which we need right now.”

Corbin had an impressive debut season with the Washington Nationals in 2019, matching his career high with 14 wins and recording a 3.25 ERA in 33 starts. He was also the winning pitcher in Game 7 of the World Series that year. However, his performance declined in subsequent seasons, going 33-70 with a 5.62 ERA in the following five years after the pandemic-shortened 2020 season.

In 2024, Corbin struggled, leading the majors with 208 hits and 109 earned runs allowed, but managed to log 174⅔ innings, ranking second on the 91-loss Nationals roster. Over his 342 career appearances, Corbin has maintained a record of 103-131, a 4.51 ERA, and amassed 1,729 strikeouts over 1,892⅓ innings pitched.