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Rangers Announce Major Roster Update on Former Cy Young Finalist

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Jake Elman | Last updated Apr 5, 2025 8:03 AM ET

Longtime Washington Nationals pitcher Patrick Corbin is getting a chance in the major leagues again.

The Texas Rangers promoted Corbin, a two-time All-Star and former Cy Young finalist, to the active roster on Friday. The 35-year-old Corbin replaces Jack Leiter, who went on the 15-day injured list with a blister on his right middle finger.

Corbin is expected to make his Rangers debut next week against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field.

Texas signed Corbin to a one-year deal in mid-March. The veteran lefty didn’t pitch in a spring training game and instead intended to build himself up at Triple-A Round Rock.

However, Leiter’s injury forced a premature promotion—not that Corbin likely minds trading a minor-league bus for big-league amenities.

A 2009 second-round pick of the Los Angeles Angels, Corbin is 103-131 with a 4.51 ERA over 12 seasons. Corbin was once among the league’s premier starting pitchers, quietly tallying a 16.2 bWAR and a 3.80 ERA over nearly 1,150 innings from 2011-19.

Actually, considering that Corbin signed a six-year, $140 million contract upon joining the Nationals in December 2018, maybe he didn’t do things too quietly.

At least Corbin got paid before his struggles began. He went 33-70 with a 5.62 ERA and -2.3 bWAR over the last five seasons, though Nationals fans clearly respected him for still taking the mound and soaking up innings every fifth day.

Despite those atrocious numbers, Corbin earned a standing ovation in his final Nationals start last September. We’ll see if the former Arizona Diamondbacks ace has anything left in the tank, whether it’s for the Rangers or another club.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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