The Texas Rangers acquired starting pitcher MacKenzie Gore during the offseason in a move to bolster their starting rotation. During the Rangers’ 3-1 spring training loss to the Chicago White Sox on Friday, Gore suffered an injury scare after getting hit by a comebacker. He ended up staying in the game, and later shared an update following his performance on the mound.
“It’ll probably be ugly, but I’ll be alright,” Gore said.
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It seems the pitcher dodged a potential serious concern. It is a promising update without question. As for his overall performance, Gore turned in three innings of shutout baseball, recording one strikeout along the way.
MacKenzie Gore Pitches Well Despite Injury Scare
Washington Nationals starting pitcher MacKenzie Gore (1)© Jeff Curry-Imagn Images
(© Jeff Curry-Imagn Images)
It was an impressive outing for the All-Star left-hander. His fastball even reached up to 97 mph, which is an encouraging sign this early in spring training.
“Velo is more than enough right now,” Gore told reporters, via Rangers Sports Network. “Velo is solid, I think we’re moving in the right direction.”
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His fastball looked sharp. Of course, there is more than velocity to discuss. Gore consistently threw strikes and did a good job of stranding base runners.
“Yeah, I felt good,” Gore said. “Held the stuff throughout the outing which is good. Another step forward. Continue to execute when we’re ahead of guys. But yeah, thought it was solid. Move on to the next one.”
The 27-year-old southpaw earned the first All-Star selection of his MLB career in 2025 with the Washington Nationals. He finished the season a mediocre 4.17 ERA, but Gore still displayed plenty of promising signs throughout the campaign. He certainly has the strikeout pitch, as he set a new career-best last season with a mark of 185. Overall, it was a respectable year for him despite his underwhelming final ERA.
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There was a time when Gore was considered to be one of the best prospects in all of MLB. He ended up landing in Washington in a trade with the San Diego Padres — the same deal that saw Juan Soto end up in San Diego.
Gore took steps forward with the Nationals and now he is preparing to begin his career with the Rangers in Texas. The Rangers have high expectations for him.
Texas’ next spring training contest is scheduled for Saturday against the Los Angeles Dodgers. First pitch is set for 3:05 PM EST.
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This story was originally published by Athlon Sports on Feb 28, 2026, where it first appeared in the MLB section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.