But in late 2010, Carolina Mudcats owner Steve Bryant announced his purchase of the Kinston Indians franchise to replace his Southern League club in Zebulon for 2012.

Prior to that, the area was served by the Kinston Expos franchise, which operated as an affiliate of four different Major League Baseball clubs from 1962 to 1974.

[5] During the 2016 season, the Astros and Rangers worked to secure ownership of the Bakersfield and High Desert franchises to prepare for relocation.

The new ownership group, Rangers Kinston, LLC,[8] filed a trademark application for the name Wood Ducks on August 15, 2016.

[9] One week later, on August 22, the ownership group announced that the Rangers were bringing a team to Kinston and that there would be a naming contest for the fans.

[18] During the Wood Ducks' inaugural season in 2017, they were crowned co-champions of the Carolina League by defeating the Myrtle Beach Pelicans.

[16] During the 2018 season, Down East wore uniforms of the Kinston Indians at seven "Throwback Thursday" games to honor the history of baseball at Grainger Stadium.

[21] The 2019 Wood Ducks won the first half of the season with a 50–20 record,[22] but lost to the Fayetteville Woodpeckers, 3–2, in the South Division finals.

[27] In July 2024, MiLB announced that the relocated team will remain an affiliate of the Texas Rangers and be promoted to class High-A, joining the South Atlantic League.

The original structure was built by architect John J. Rowland in 1949 at a cost of $170,000 inclusive of everything except the land, with $150,000 raised by bond issue.