The Rangers announced this afternoon that they have selected Nolan Kingham‘s contract from Triple-A Round Rock. The right-hander will be making his MLB debut if he gets into a game. In a corresponding move, Texas optioned fellow righty Luis Curvelo back to Triple-A.
Kingham, 29, was drafted by the Braves in 2018 and pitched in their minor league system until 2023. Although he worked his way up to Triple-A by 2021, he never got the call to the majors. Atlanta released him before the 2024 season. The righty then spent the next few years in the Mexican League, pitching for the Sultanes de Monterrey. In fact, it was his performance in Monterrey that must have caught the Rangers’ eye earlier this year. He pitched to a 1.82 ERA in his first six starts, striking out 29 and walking just six. In late May, the Sultanes granted him his release and the Rangers signed him to a minor league deal.
In 11 games (10 starts) for Round Rock, Kingham put up a 6.99 ERA and 6.72 xERA in 46 1/3 innings of work. His overall results haven’t been particularly promising, but his strikeout rate is higher than it ever was during his time in the Braves’ organization. In his last start, he struck out nine batters over five innings, giving up just two hits and one run.
Texas recalled Curvelo yesterday, and he gave up four runs in two innings of work, raising his ERA to 9.58. Kingham gives the Rangers a fresh arm in the ‘pen.
