Texas Rangers Activate MacKenzie Gore From Paternity Leave List, Option Ben Peoples To Triple-A Round Rock

ARLINGTON, Texas — The Texas Rangers activated left-handed pitcher MacKenzie Gore from the paternity leave list Saturday and optioned right-handed pitcher Ben Peoples to Triple-A Round Rock. The club announced both moves before its game against the Baltimore Orioles at Globe Life Field.

Gore, 27, went on the paternity leave list Wednesday. He is back after missing three days, and he returns to a rotation that has carried Texas through a stretch in which the club has won three in a row and climbed back to .500 at 58-58.

MacKenzie Gore Returns to the Texas Rangers Rotation

Gore last pitched Tuesday against San Francisco. He threw 6.0 scoreless innings with 3 hits, 3 walks, and 4 strikeouts on 99 pitches, 62 of them strikes, and he left without a decision.

Texas won that game 5-4 in walk-off fashion. Ezequiel Duran drove in 4 runs, the last of them on a ground-rule double in the ninth inning that ended a six-game losing streak.

Gore has made 24 starts this season, the most on the Texas staff. Cleveland’s Tanner Bibee and Joey Cantillo and New York’s Cam Schlittler are also at 24, tied with Gore for the American League lead.

Entering Saturday, Gore has a 4.55 ERA and a 1.24 WHIP over 128 2/3 innings. He has struck out 140 batters and walked 47.

The Rangers acquired Gore from the Washington Nationals on January 22 in exchange for five prospects. Shortstop Gavin Fien, infielder Devin Fitz-Gerald, right-handed pitcher Alejandro Rosario, first baseman and outfielder Abimelec Ortiz, and outfielder Yeremy Cabrera went to Washington in the deal.

Gore made the National League All-Star team in 2025. He went 5-15 with a 4.17 ERA and 185 strikeouts across 30 starts for a Washington club that lost 96 games.

Gore is earning $5.6 million this season. He is under club control through 2027 and is scheduled to reach free agency after that season.

Ben Peoples Optioned to Triple-A Round Rock

Peoples, 25, made 12 relief appearances in his first stint in the majors. He posted a 2.19 ERA, allowing 3 earned runs over 12 1/3 innings with 3 walks and 6 strikeouts.

His last outing came Monday against San Francisco. Peoples worked 1.0 scoreless inning with 1 walk and 1 strikeout on 27 pitches, 15 of them strikes.

The right-hander spent 37 days on the active roster. Texas selected his contract from Round Rock on July 2, two days after acquiring him from the Chicago White Sox for High-A catcher Ben Hartl.

Peoples had not reached the majors before this season. Tampa Bay drafted him in the 22nd round in 2019 out of Giles County High School in Pulaski, Tennessee, and traded him to Chicago in July 2025 as part of the three-player return for Adrian Houser.

Before the trade to Texas, Peoples made 29 appearances for Triple-A Charlotte and posted a 2.39 ERA over 37 2/3 innings with 45 strikeouts.

The Rangers now carry 40 players on the major league roster. Six more are on the 60-day injured list: right-handed pitchers Carter Baumler and Jose Corniell; left-handed pitchers Jalen Beeks and Robert Garcia; infielder and outfielder Michael Helman; and catcher Danny Jansen.

Texas plays Baltimore on Saturday at 6:15 p.m. CT at Globe Life Field, with the game airing on FOX. Jacob deGrom starts for the Rangers against Orioles right-hander Kyle Bradish. Gore is lined up to start Monday at the Los Angeles Angels.