The Texas Rangers haven’t gotten off to a strong start this season, entering the week sitting fourth in the AL West. With the organization looking for some form of a spark, there is reportedly strong consideration to making a change with the pitching staff.
USA Today‘s Bob Nightengale reports that Texas is ‘seriously considering’ using Kumar Rocker as its closer when he comes off the injured list. The former top prospect has been on the IL since late April with a shoulder impingement, but he’s recently started a rehab stint in the minor leagues.
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Texas Rangers bullpen stats (FanGraphs): 4.20 ERA (19th in MLB), 1.30 WHIP (16th in MLB), .240 batting average allowed (16th in MLB)
Texas views Rocker’s fastball-slider combo as an ideal fit for a reliever, especially in the late innings. He opened the season in the Rangers’ rotation, but struggled with opponents posting a .341/.379/.534 triple-slash line against him with a .913 OPS in five starts.
Over that span, opponents also posted a .372/.400/.605 slash line against Rocker in his first time through the order. However, Texas is still hopeful that Rocker would still be effective working later in games for a one-inning stint.
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Kumar Rocker stats (ESPN): 8.10 ERA, 1.75 WHIP, .913 OPS allowed in 20 innings pitched
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The Rangers have tried to make it work with Luke Jackson, but he has a 5.17 ERA and 1.60 WHIP this season with 8 saves in 10 opportunities. Bringing Rocker back as a reliever would also allow Texas to activate him sooner, as he wouldn’t need as much time to build up his pitch count across multiple rehab starts in a three-week span.
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