Is Ben Peoples One Move Away from Making MLB Debut with Rangers?

The Texas Rangers executed a minor league trade on Monday that could have significant implications on the Major League roster.

Chicago White Sox pitcher Ben Peoples. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The search never ends for pitching. Most Major League teams make moves to acquire it on a weekly basis during the season.

But what the Texas Rangers did on Monday evening bears mention.

The Rangers acquired Chicago White Sox prospect Ben Peoples in exchange for minor league catcher Ben Hartl, per MLB.com. The move had not appeared on either player’s MiLB.com page and the deal had not been announced. Texas doesn’t typically announce minor league trades — unless those players end up on the Major League roster.

One must wonder if that might be Peoples’ next stop. There are a couple of reasons why that could be the case.

Is Ben Peoples on a Path to Arlington?

Texas Rangers manager Skip Schumaker. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Peoples was a reliever for Chicago’s Triple-A team in Charlotte and his numbers are intriguing. He is 5-1 with a 2.39 ERA in 29 games, all in relief, with two holds and four saves in five chances. He’s struck out 45, walked 21 and allowed batters to hit just .156 against him. He’s pitched in 37.2 innings. He’s never pitched in the Majors.

The Rangers may see a pitcher who is ready for the big leagues. He was converted into a reliever last year and he struggled a bit, but batters still only batted .195. For his entire minor league career, dating back to 2019, he’s allowed batters to hit .210 against him.

He’s been in the minor leagues since he was drafted in 22nd round of the 2019 MLB draft by the Tampa Bay Rays. He was selected out of Giles County High School in Pulaski, Tenn. The 25-year-old has been on a slow burn, including missing the entire 2020 season due to the COVID-19 shutdown of minor league baseball. He landed with the White Sox last trade deadline in a deal that sent Adrian Houser to the Rays.

Oddly enough, Houser started last year with the Rangers on a minor league deal.

The Rangers are wrapping up a run of 15 games in 15 days and the bullpen is spent. They signed Chris Paddack to a deal on Monday and then designated him for assignment the next day to promote Gavin Collyer. They need arms and with Paddack DFAed, the Rangers now have two 40-man roster spots to work with.

It wouldn’t take much to put Peoples on the 40-man roster, promote him to the 26-man roster, option a reliever to Triple-A Round Rock and add some sorely needed depth. It just depends on whether Texas thinks he’s ready.