Blake Hunt finally got into a big-league game on Friday.

Now he’s set to get his first at-bat.

The 27-year-old catcher is behind the plate to start Saturday’s 1:05 p.m. game in Texas, where the Rangers are calling an audible for their starting pitcher. Left-hander MacKenzie Gore will start Saturday instead of Sunday, as right-hander Nathan Eovaldi has been scratched with left knee soreness.

Sunday’s starter is TBD but Eovaldi is still an option.

Hunt entered Friday’s game as a defensive replacement after Rodolfo Durán was replaced by a pinch-hitter, but he did not get a plate appearance.

Hunt had appeared on a big-league roster with the Orioles but was optioned back to the minors without playing a game.

Hunt was originally a second-round pick of the Padres in 2017 and ultimately traded away in the package that fetched Blake Snell from the Rays before the 2021 season.

From there, Hunt bounced from Tampa Bay to Baltimore to Seattle before signing a minor league deal with the Padres before this season. He sustained an oblique injury in spring training and was hitting .289/.431/.533 with three homers in 15 games split between a rehab assignment in the rookie-level Arizona Complex League and Triple-A El Paso.

Hunt will bat ninth in a lineup with just one left-handed hitter for Gore.

Game 2 on deck. pic.twitter.com/XubzYYLoAa

— San Diego Padres (@Padres) June 20, 2026

Center fielder Jackson Merrill (.625 OPS) will bat fifth, between shortstop Xander Bogaerts (.643 OPS) and first baseman Ty France (.796 OPS). Gavin Sheets is out of the lineup, as Samad Taylor (.907 OPS) will get the start in left field, Jase Bowen (.274 OPS) will start in right and Nick Solak (.367 OPS) will serve as the DH.

Here is how the Rangers will line up:

Mexican Heritage Weekend Day 2 #AllForTX pic.twitter.com/MchtleBFKA

— Texas Rangers (@Rangers) June 20, 2026

 

Saturday’s pitching matchup

Padres RHP Walker Buehler (4-3, 4.14 ERA)

He’s allowed two or fewer earned runs in six of his last seven starts (2.92 ERA), allowing the Padres to go 5-2 in those games. Buehler has a 5.40 ERA in six starts on the road. He has a 3.72 ERA in four career starts against the Rangers, including allowing four runs in 4⅓ innings in a loss last year.

Here is how Buehler has fared against current Rangers:

Rangers LHP MacKenzie Gore (4-6, 4.27 ERA)

The former Padres first-rounder is coming off a season-high 10 strikeouts, although he lost with four runs allowed in four innings. He allowed two homers in the game after going five games (3.53 ERA) without giving up one. Gore has a 7.05 ERA in five career starts against the Padres, including two losses last year (8⅓ IP, 9 ER).

Here is how Gore has fared against current Padres: