On Friday, Jake Burger returned to the Texas Rangers’ spring training camp in Arizona with a heavy heart but a renewed sense of gratitude. After spending three days at Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital in Nashville for his 4-month-old daughter Penelope’s open-heart surgery, Burger wasted no time making an impact on the field.
Just hours after arriving back in camp on Thursday morning, the first baseman launched his first home run of the Cactus League in an 8-0 win over the Seattle Mariners at Surprise Stadium. He did so while wearing Penelope’s hospital bracelet on his left wrist, a reminder of the journey his family has been on.
“You have to have faith in something when you’re in the waiting room there,” Burger said. “My faith in God and my faith in my family just grew exponentially. Just blessed and grateful to have Penelope on the mend and ready to come to some Ranger baseball.”
Burger crushed an inside changeup from Mariners’ Blas Castano 408 feet over the left-center field wall in the fifth inning. He also made solid contact in his previous at-bats, hitting a 108.1 mph flyout in the second inning and a 111.2 mph groundout in the third. His emotional performance did not go unnoticed by Rangers manager Bruce Bochy.
Jake Burger crushes home run for his daughter, Rangers on Friday
“Man, I can’t even imagine the two days he went through and how intense it must’ve been,” Bochy said. “It’s incredible what his young daughter, Penelope, went through.”
Penelope, who was born in October with Down syndrome, had a planned heart surgery earlier in the week. Burger and his wife, Ashlynn, had known for months that the procedure would be necessary but were relieved that they were able to wait until late February rather than right after birth.
Burger stayed with Penelope until late Wednesday night before taking a 5 a.m. flight back to Arizona.
“I landed at 7:40, drove straight here, and got to work,” he said. “Maybe that’s the secret sauce there. I don’t know if I want to do that on a daily basis, but, if we need a home run, maybe? Maybe throw that in there.”
Beyond baseball, Burger is dedicated to raising awareness for Down syndrome. He will wear No. 21 this season in honor of Trisomy 21, the genetic condition associated with Down syndrome. He and Ashlynn also plan to launch a foundation to support research and provide resources for families in similar situations.
“I don’t envy those doctors and nurses for what they deal with on a daily basis,” Burger said. “We go out here and play a children’s game and have fun with it. Being on that side of it and seeing what they do every single minute of every single day, it’s pretty incredible.”
As he prepares for his first season with the Rangers, Burger is focused on his transition to first base and contributing to a team with championship aspirations. While his personal journey has added extra meaning to his spring training, he is eager to bring that same energy into the regular season.
“Now it’s just about getting her healthy and getting her and the family down to Texas and ready for what comes this season,” Burger said. With his talent on the field and unwavering resilience off it, Burger has already made his mark as a Ranger, both as a player and as a father.
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