For as good as the Rangers’ rotation was in April and May, led by Nathan Eovaldi, Jacob deGrom and Tyler Mahle, the starters have been walking a fine line.

Injuries to Jon Gray and Cody Bradford in spring training dealt a swift blow to Texas’ rotation depth, while rookie Kumar Rocker dealt with a shoulder issue that first cropped up in late April. Depth pieces at Triple-A Round Rock were struggling.

But down at Double-A Frisco, the Rangers have two intriguing options who could enter the picture this summer: lefthanders Kohl Drake and Mitch Bratt.

Drake took part in a Frisco no-hitter earlier this season, and Bratt had an 1.89 ERA through nine starts. They go about things differently, with the 24-year-old Drake more of a power pitcher, but they both pile up strikeouts and limit baserunners.

“We do throw a little different,” Bratt said, “but at the end of the day, lefties are different and funky—but we’re similar in a lot of ways.”

Bratt is a Canadian who transferred to a Georgia high school during the pandemic to be seen by scouts. The Rangers drafted him in the fifth round in 2021. The 21-year-old streamlined his mechanics after last season, when he reached Frisco in the second half.

He learned that he needed to be finer with his pitches and went to work in the offseason with Rangers bullpen coach and fellow Canadian Jordan Tiegs.

The 6-foot-5 Drake also learned what adjustments he needed to make after he pitched in Frisco late in 2024. 

“The first thing I noticed, even though I can get ahead in the count, (the batters) could foul off a lot of pitches with two strikes,” said Drake, an 11th-round pick in 2022 out of Walters State (Tenn.) JC. “Their approaches were a lot better, and I knew I needed to have better two-strike pitches.”

Drake and Bratt, roommates on the road, are helping each other as they make the Rangers take notice of their performances.

RANGERS ROUNDUP

— Outfielder Alejandro Osuna made his MLB debut on May 25 and reached base in his first four career starts. Osuna opened the season at Double-A Frisco and was bumped in early May to Triple-A Round Rock, where he continued to hit. He made a big impression during his first big league spring training, where coaches and manager Bruce Bochy fell in love with how he plays.

— Righthander Cole Winn returned to the major leagues in mid May after opening the Triple-A season by going 23.1 innings without allowing an earned run. The 25-year-old righthander opened his MLB stint with six more scoreless frames over four appearances, capitalizing on better command than he showed in 2024.