Texas Rangers Pitching Phenom May Not Break Spring Training With Major League Team

A writer has hinted that the Texas Rangers may keep one of their top pitching prospects in the minors to start 2025.

Sep 12, 2024; Seattle, Washington, USA; Texas Rangers starting pitcher Kumar Rocker (80) pitches to the Seattle Mariners during the first inning at T-Mobile Park. | Steven Bisig-Imagn Images

For the Texas Rangers to return to the top of the American League, they will need their pitching staff, specifially the starting rotation, to live up to their expectations.

Injuries depleted this group in 2024, as Max Scherzer made only nine starts. Jacob deGrom and Tyler Mahle each made only three.

There were only two pitchers, Andrew Heaney and Nathan Eovaldi, who made at least 29 starts. No one else even reached the 20-start plateau, with Jon Gray getting the closest by toeing the rubber 19 times.

It will certainly be something to keep an eye on throughout the 2025 campaign. The team already lost Scherzer to the Toronto Blue Jays in free agency and Heaney remains available on the open market.

Health will be paramount to their success, as there is no denying the talent the Rangers have on the mound.

One of their strengths will be their depth, since the team has plenty of options to turn to as starters.

Amongst the most intriguing options they have is Kumar Rocker, the No. 35 overall prospect in the top 100 of ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel. He had a wonderful MLB debut near the end of the 2024 campaign when he made his return from Tommy John surgery.

He is an immense talent, but the MLB writer has hinted Rocker may not break camp with the team for Opening Day. He could be in for an adjusted role as they look to ease him back into the mix and slowly increase his workload.

“On the heels of his breakthrough 2024, Texas Rangers pitcher Kumar Rocker (No. 35) will probably be the first call-up for Texas' pitching staff, and might work more in shorter stints while providing 75-100 impactful big league innings,” McDaniel wrote.

That is an interesting tidbit of information since many people would have thought Rocker would be part of the starting rotation from the beginning.

Right now, Eovaldi, deGrom and Mahle look locked into roles. Gray looks like a strong bet to be the No. 4, and the team also has another unexpected 2024 breakout performer, Cody Bradford, who could factor into the mix.

Things could certainly change during Spring Training, as Rocker is talented enough to blow away opponents and force his way into the rotation. 

But, based on what McDaniel wrote, it sounds as if the team has a clear-cut plan on how they want to deploy their talented pitcher this season.

With championship aspirations, it would be smart to limit his innings early on and save the bullets for the most important moments. The Rangers could opt to slow play things and add him to the mix in the summer to ramp up activity for what they hope is a deep October run.

Of course, that is all predicated on the pitching staff remaining healthy, which remains a massive question mark.