Jake Burger Named Rangers Roberto Clemente Award Nominee

On Monday morning, Major League Baseball and all 30 teams revealed their nominees for the 2026 Roberto Clemente Award.

Texas Rangers first baseman Jake Burger was announced as the club’s nominee for this year’s award.

Burger will be recognized with a pre-game ceremony at Globe Life Field during the celebration of Roberto Clemente Day on Tuesday.

“It’s hard to put into words what it means to be nominated for an award named after Roberto Clemente,” Burger said. “He set the example for what it means to use this game to help others, and just being mentioned alongside his name is an incredible honor.

"I’m grateful to the Rangers organization and proud of the work The Burger Family Foundation has been able to do by helping so many families in the Down syndrome community.”

Since being traded to Texas prior to the 2025 season, Burger and his wife, Ashlyn, founded The Burger Family Foundation in honor of their daughter, Penelope, who was born with Down syndrome.

The foundation aims to support and celebrate families through direct financial assistance, therapy, community engagement, and the healing power of ranch life. Burger is currently the only active Major League Baseball player with a child diagnosed with Down syndrome.

Over $150,000 has been raised through his foundation’s “Down Syndrome Is Cool" merchandise initiative. The collection of apparel and accessories serves as a platform for advocacy, creating opportunities to start conversations about Down syndrome while promoting a culture of inclusion and acceptance.

The Rangers have partnered with Burger’s Foundation to host "Down Syndrome Awareness Day" at Globe Life Field each of the last two seasons, with proceeds from specialty tickets and "Down Syndrome is Cool" merchandise sales benefiting local Down syndrome organizations.

Additionally, a portion of the proceeds from every Burger jersey sold at Globe Life Field over the last two seasons has been donated to The Burger Family Foundation. Burger wears no. 21 on his uniform in honor of the clinical name for Down syndrome, "Trisomy 21".

Beginning now, fans can vote for the Roberto Clemente Award on the MLB website.

The league-wide winner of the award will be honored at the 2026 World Series following selection by a blue-ribbon panel that includes the Commissioner’s Office, Capital One, MLB-affiliated networks (MLB Network, FOX Sports, ESPN and TBS), MLB.com, the National Baseball Hall of Fame, as well as Roberto’s children, Enrique, Luis and Roberto Clemente, Jr.