Cards claim Zak Kent for second time this offseason

The St. Louis Cardinals announced Monday that they have claimed right-handed pitcher Zak Kent off waivers from the Texas Rangers and added him to their 40-player roster. Infielder Bryan Ramos has been designated for assignment to make room for Kent’s addition to the team’s Major League roster.

Kent, 27, rejoins the Cardinals organization after first having been acquired by St. Louis on December 5, 2025 in a waiver claim from Cleveland. Texas had claimed Kent off waivers from the Cardinals on January 9.

The 6-3, 205-pound Kent debuted with the Guardians in 2025 and posted a 1-0 record with a 4.58 ERA and 16 strikeouts over his 17.2 innings pitched in 12 appearances.

Originally selected by the Texas Rangers in the 2019 Major League Baseball Draft out of Virginia Military Institute, Kent has made 117 career minor league appearances (63 starts) while posting a 13-16 mark with a 4.13 ERA.

After pitching the entire 2024 Spring Training season with the Rangers, Kent was traded to Cleveland on March 28 and sent to Triple-A Columbus. He was moved to a relief role for the entirety of the 2025 season with 34 appearances in Columbus, posting a 2-3 record with a 2.84 ERA and two saves.

Kent made his Major League debut with Cleveland vs. the New York Yankees on April 23, 2025, pitching a career-high 3.0 innings. His first Major League win came in his final appearance of the season, pitching 2.0 innings in a 9-8 win over his original drafting team, the Texas Rangers, at Progressive Field.

The Henrico, Va. native has allowed just one home run to 76 total batters faced in the Major Leagues, that coming in his final appearance of 2025. He held opposing right-handed batters to a .552 OPS.