How Rangers Promoting Malcolm Moore Shows Faith in His Future

The Texas Rangers could have left Malcolm Moore at High-A a few more weeks, but the time was now to give their 2024 first-round pick a test.

Texas Rangers first round draft pick Malcolm Moore. | Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

Those attending the Frisco RoughRiders game on Tuesday morning got a surprise — Malcolm Moore was the catcher.

The Texas Rangers promoted their first-round pick from the 2024 MLB draft while their full-season affiliates were dark on Monday, per his MiLB.com page. He started behind the plate for the RoughRiders and went 0-for-4 with a run scored. He scored in the 10th inning as the ghost runner in a 12-inning, 7-6 Frisco win over the Arkansas Travelers.

This was a big day for Moore. This was a big day for the Rangers. This was a big day when one considers that Moore represents the future behind the plate and, for the first time in his pro career, he has real traction toward the Major Leagues.

Malcolm Moore’s Huge 2026

Before this season Moore struggled every step of the way, some of which was due to injuries. IN 2024, after his selection out of Stanford, he slashed .209/.298/.374 with three home runs and 12 RBI and High-A Hickory. Those 25 games were meant get him prepped for a full season in 2025, where Texas hoped he would take a multi-affiliate step in the right direction.

Instead, injuries limited him to 62 games. He landed on the minor league injured list in mid-April and didn’t return until late June. With the ACL Rangers and High-A Hub City he slashed a combined .195/.300/.276 with three home runs and 27 RBI in 62 games. The Rangers wanted to get him more at-bats, so they sent him to the Arizona Fall League, but nothing clicked there, either. He slashed .213/.275/.328 with one home run and eight RBI.

Moore’s lack of development to that point put the Rangers in a tight spot. Catcher was a position where it didn’t have much organizational depth. Kyle Higashioka is under contract through this year, and Danny Jansen is signed through 2027. Beyond that the Rangers have no play. They needed Moore to figure it out.

Well, that why he’s at Frisco — he figured it out. With High-A Hub City Moore’s bat came to life. He slashed .300/.387/.542 in 48 games with 10 home runs and 37 RBI. He was named the South Atlantic League player of the week for May 17 and just before his promotion he hit a walk-off home run.

The promotion represents the Rangers’ faith in Moore’s progress — but also a test. The Major League draft is in July. Texas will likely select a catcher. How Moore plays the next month may determine where. If he performs at Frisco as he did at Hub City, he could start 2027 at Triple-A Round Rock with his eye on an MLB debut as Jansen’s backup, and then replacement, in 2028.

That’s why his promotion was so important on Tuesday. He’s the future at the position.