Jack Leiter Called Up by Rangers; No. 2 Pick in 2021 MLB Draft to Debut vs. Tigers

The Texans Rangers called up starting pitcher Jack Leiter on Tuesday, setting the stage for him to make his MLB debut Thursday against the Detroit Tigers.

Leiter was the No. 2 overall pick in the 2021 MLB draft out of Vanderbilt. The son of former MLB pitcher Al Leiter, Jack struggled early in his pro career before making mechanical tweaks that have seemingly paid off.

The 23-year-old has struck out 25 batters in 14.1 innings pitched this season at Triple-A Round Rock.

"Jack's done great," general manager Chris Young said. "He had a great spring and our expectation is if Jack continues to trend the way he has, he will help us out. The best thing for Jack's development is likely to continue the success in Triple-A for a period of time. He's in consideration based on how he's performed to help us at any point should somebody go down or should somebody underperform or he performed to a level that warrants consideration."

The Rangers placed Cody Bradford on the 15-day injured list earlier this week. Bradford was off to a stellar 3-0 start to the 2024 season, leaving a notable gap in the Texas rotation. The Rangers are already without veteran starters Max Scherzer and Jacob deGrom due to injuries.

Leiter will be getting a favorable matchup for his first MLB start. The Tigers rank 12th in the American League in runs scored and have scored more than five runs in a game just three times so far this season.