STWF Sports | FRISCO, Texas | July 2, 2026 — Winston Santos officially completed his climb to the major leagues Wednesday night, adding his name to a growing list of former Frisco RoughRiders who have reached baseball’s highest level.

Santos made his MLB debut with the Texas Rangers on July 1 against the Cleveland Guardians, becoming the sixth former RoughRider in 2026 to earn a place on the Road to the Show wall, driven by Avondale Dealerships.

The 24-year-old right-hander entered in relief for Texas and worked two innings in his first major league appearance. Santos allowed two hits and two earned runs, getting his first taste of big-league competition after opening the season in Double-A with Frisco.

For the RoughRiders, the moment marked another major developmental win in a season that has already seen multiple players graduate to the majors. Santos joins Gavin Collyer, Peyton Gray, Robbie Ahlstrom, Mitch Bratt and Cam Cauley as former Frisco players to reach the big leagues in 2026.

Winston Santos: A Rising Star in Major League Baseball

His debut also raised the RoughRiders’ all-time total to 231 players in franchise history who have gone on to appear in the major leagues.

Santos’ path to Texas is another example of the long climb that defines player development. A native of the Dominican Republic, he originally signed with the Rangers in 2019 as an international free agent for $10,000. From there, he worked his way through the organization, developing into one of the more productive arms in the Rangers’ minor league system.

His breakout began to take shape in 2024, when he reached Frisco and delivered one of the strongest campaigns among Rangers minor league pitchers. Santos led all Texas minor leaguers that season with 11 wins and 138 strikeouts, showcasing the swing-and-miss ability and durability that helped push him into the conversation as a legitimate big-league option.

That success carried into 2026.

Santos began this season with the RoughRiders and made 11 starts for Frisco before earning a direct call-up to the Rangers in late June. During his time with the RoughRiders this year, he struck out 58 batters across 42.1 innings, continuing to miss bats at a high rate. Across his Double-A career, Santos has recorded 137 strikeouts.

Those numbers speak to the trait that helped separate him on the mound: the ability to finish hitters. Whether working through traffic or attacking early in counts, Santos showed Frisco fans a pitcher capable of generating strikeouts in key spots. His production at Double-A made his rise one of the more notable stories in the system this season.

For Frisco, Santos’ promotion is another reminder of the club’s role as a launching point for future major leaguers. The RoughRiders have long served as a key stop in the Rangers’ developmental pipeline, and Santos’ debut adds to that history.

The Road to the Show wall at Riders Field has become a visual marker of that tradition. Each new name represents not only a big-league debut but also the years of work behind it: early professional innings, adjustments, setbacks, coaching, travel and the pressure of performing at every level.

Santos’ journey included all of that. Signed as a low-cost international free agent, he steadily built himself into a pitcher capable of reaching Arlington. His story carries the kind of player-development value organizations chase — an arm identified early, sharpened over time and ultimately trusted enough to get a major league opportunity.

His debut line may not tell the full story of the night. The larger achievement was the arrival itself. Santos stepped onto a major league mound for the first time, wearing a Rangers uniform after spending years climbing through the system.

For the RoughRiders, it was another proud moment in a season already filled with call-ups and milestones. For Santos, it was the beginning of the next chapter.

And for Rangers fans watching the pipeline, his debut offered another example of Frisco’s continued impact on the big-league roster.