His first major league game was on September 27, 1906, with the Brooklyn Dodgers visiting the Chicago Cubs; he became a member of the NL's regular staff in April 1907.

He not only proved skilled in officiating, but also became an expert in the design and groundskeeping of ballparks, and he laid out many of the most important parks in Cuba and elsewhere in Latin America by the early 1910s.

In 1912 he was laying out the ballfield at the University of Virginia, while also serving as an assistant coach at the school, when he discovered pitcher Eppa Rixey and signed him for the Philadelphia Phillies.

Rigler was highly regarded for his outgoing nature and for his ability to let criticism roll off his back without becoming visibly irritated.

Rigler was promoted to supervisor of the NL staff in December 1935 following the death of Hank O'Day, but he never got the opportunity to fulfill his duties.