Rangers' Transactions Involve Roster Swap of Top-5 Prospects

The Texas Rangers called up one top-five prospect while demoting another before their Wednesday game with the Miami Marlins.

A hat and glove of a Texas Rangers player | John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images

Prior to their series-closing 4-2 loss to the Miami Marlins on Wednesday, the Texas Rangers announced a pair of roster moves involving two of the club's top-five prospects, per MLB Pipeline.

In a swap of young, right-handed pitchers, the Rangers called up Winston Santos from the Double-A Frisco RoughRiders while optioning José Corniell back to Triple-A Round Rock. The club is continuing its search for internal pitching options to replace injured starter Jack Leiter, who was placed on the 15-day injured list on Sunday with right ankle posterior impingement, but could be looking at a longer recovery timeframe.

Rangers Call Up No. 5 Santos, Demote No. 4 Corniell

Texas Rangers pitcher Winston Santos | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

The decision to send down Corniell was hardly a surprise considering the newly-turned 23-year-old right-hander is coming off a 69-pitch outing in Tuesday's 6-4 loss to the Marlins. The Dominican Republic native endured a rocky 3.1 innings of work, allowing five earned runs, including two home runs, seven hits and two walks while striking out three in what was just his second big league appearance.

More eyebrow-raising, however, was Texas' recall of Santos, who made the jump from Double-A despite struggling mightily in the minors this season. The 24-year-old is 1-3 with a 7.44 ERA this season, having allowed 35 earned runs across 11 starts and 42.1 innings of work.

Regardless of results, Santos boasts a major league-ready fastball that averages out to roughly 95-97 MPH and is capable of hitting 100 MPH. But the Dominican native has found difficulty harnessing some of the secondary pitches, including a slider and a change-up, in his arsenal. He has surrendered 21 walks this season while getting hit at a .312 clip.

Santos will presumably have the chance to secure a regular role with the Rangers (at least for the time being) with a strong showing during his call-up. If he struggles, however, Corniell could see a quick return.

Corniell has now endured two shaky outings in his MLB appearances. And yet, he isn't particularly far removed from a 2025 campaign in which he rose rapidly through four levels of Texas' system by going 1-3 with a 1.89 ERA, striking out 41 batters in just 38 innings of work.

For the time being, don't expect many more top prospects to follow Corniell and Santos to the big leagues in the immediate future. No. 1 prospect Sebastian Walcott is projected to arrive in the majors in 2027, while fellow right-handed pitchers Caden Scarborough and AJ Russell (No. 2 and 3, respectively) are still plying their trade in A-ball.

At the major league level, the Rangers may continue employing a revolving door approach to their starting rotation until either Leiter is ready to return or Jordan Montgomery (left UCL hybrid reconstruction and internal brace procedure) can return to active duty.

For Texas, the future is now. And ready or not, it's Santos' turn to prove he belongs in the majors.