St. Louis Cardinals Claim Texas Rangers Pitcher Off Waivers

It didn’t take long for the Texas Rangers to lose a minor-league reliever to a waiver claim by the St. Louis Cardinals.

Sep 26, 2023; Anaheim, California, USA; Los Angeles Angels relief pitcher Kolton Ingram. / Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

Kolton Ingram, who was designated for assignment by the Texas Rangers earlier this week, was claimed by the St. Louis Cardinals on Friday, the team announced.

The Rangers designated Ingram for assignment on Wednesday as part of a flurry of moves during preparation for their doubleheader with the Oakland Athletics.

Has Ingram made it through waivers, Ingram would have had the right to accept a Rangers assignment to the minors or become a free agent. The Cardinals appeared to not want to take that chance.

The Rangers claimed Ingram off waivers from the New York Mets on April 24 and assigned him to Triple-A Round Rock. He made two relief appearances with the Express, giving up no runs in two innings of work. He also walked one.

Before that he was 1-0 with a 7.24 ERA with Triple-A Syracuse in the Mets’ organization. He gave up four earned runs in four appearances and blew a save. He struck out three and walked six.

Ingram made his only trip to the Majors in 2023 with the Los Angeles Angels. He pitched in five games, didn’t figure in a decision and had an 8.44 ERA. He struck out seven and walked five in 5.1 innings, allowing seven runs (five earned).

That included an appearance against Texas on Sept. 26, during which he gave up a hit, two unearned runs and struck out three in one inning.

The Detroit Tigers selected Ingram in the 37th round of the 2019 Major League Baseball draft out of Columbus State. The Tigers released him in May of 2020, right before the resumption of Major League Baseball due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

He signed with the Angels as a free agent and remained with the team until he was designated for assignment earlier this year. He briefly returned to the Tigers, who claimed him off waivers, and he was then DFA’ed again and the Mets claimed him off waivers.