How does Kumar Rocker, other young pitchers fit into the Texas Rangers 2025 plan?

Texas pitcher Kumar Rocker made his Globe Life Field debut Thursday in a 4-0 loss against the Toronto Blue Jays in what could be a glimpse of the Rangers’ future.

Rocker, the Rangers’ No. 2 ranked prospect, allowed one run on two hits with five strikeouts and four walks in three innings in a bid to impress and possibly start the 2025 season in the starting rotation.

With multiple pitchers headed to free agency during the upcoming offseason, Rocker is one of several talented young pitchers who could reshape the Rangers pitching rotation

Rocker said in an interview with 105.3 The Fan that he felt confident he could make the opening day roster in 2025.

“With the the work I’ve been putting in these past two years I think I’m pretty confident I know what I need to do and I just got to go out there and execute it,” said Rocker.

Manager Bruce Bochy said that the Rangers, who won’t make the playoffs to defend their 2023 World Series title, are in evaluation mode.

“This is the time when you want to get all the information you can to help you in your evaluation of where you’re at, as far as moving forward and see where they’re at and how, first of all, that they’re healthy,” Bochy said. “But they do up here, as far as. Facing major league hitters, and gives us a better idea where we’re at as we think about the rotation and the bullpen next year with these young guys.”

Two of the other young pitchers to watch are Rocker’s ex-Vanderbilt teammate Jack Leiter and Aledo native Cody Bradford.

Leiter has struggled in his first big league season, going 0-2 with a 9.55 ERA with 25 strikeouts while being used as a starting pitcher in six of his seven appearances.

Bradford has impressed in the 2024 season going 6-3 with a 3.59 ERA in 13 games with 66 strikeouts in his second season. He recently returned after missing four months because of a rib injury He has made a strong case to be a regular member of the rotation in 2025 if the Rangers lose one of their key free-agent pitchers.

Nathan Eovaldi has a player option for the 2025 season and could leave while Max Scherzer and Andrew Heaney are unrestricted free agents.

Eovaldi is 11-8 with a 3.96 ERA in the 2024 season and was a key cog for the Rangers 2024 World Series Championship team but could find a market from other contenders looking for a playoff-proven arm.

Scherzer, 40, will be headed into his 18th season next year and has also struggled with injuries in the past two seasons with the Rangers. In 2024 Scherzer went 2-4 with a 3.95 ERA in nine starts.

Andrew Heaney is 5-14 with a 3.89 ERA this season and is a pitcher other teams could target for starting pitching depth.

If one or all three pitchers were to leave the Rangers wouldn’t have to rely solely on their young talent as replacements.

The Rangers have several pitchers, including Jon Gray, Jacob deGrom, and Tyler Mahle, who have been unavailable because of injuries for large portions of the season. Each have had success as starters in the big leagues.

DeGrom made his season debut against Seattle last weekend. He will pitch on Friday and heads into the offseason healthy and ready to continue his role as the team’s ace in the 2025 season.

Gray was dominant early in the season, sporting a 2.21 ERA through the end of May, before being slowed down by a groin injury and eventually being sidelined for the season by a right foot neuroma.

Mahle only pitched three times this season in the big leagues before being shut down with right shoulder stiffness.

Dane Dunning will be key for the Rangers in the 2025 season after struggling this year going 4-7 with a 5.38 ERA list before being optioned. Dunning was the 2023 Rangers pitcher of the year and a return to form would give the Rangers a versatile pitcher capable of starting or coming out of the bullpen in relief.

In the bullpen, Jose Leclerc is also an unrestricted free agent as well as 2024 All-Star Kirby Yates, who was a relief arm for the Rangers converting 31-of-32 save chances while going 6-3 with a 1.23 ERA.

Jose Urena emerged as a strong bullpen arm for the Rangers going 3-2 with a 2.92 ERA but will also be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season.

The bullpen’s 4.47 ERA was only 25th best in the major leagues. The bullpen pitchers not named Yates converted only five of 23 saves.

David Robertson will return next season after going 3-4 with a 3.22 ERA, but struggled to finish games. He’s saved just two of 10 opportunities.

Texas Rangers President of Baseball Operations Chris Young said the bullpen would be a focus in the upcoming free agency.

“There are a few areas, and it always starts with starting pitching. Our bullpen is going to be a priority,” said Young.

If the Rangers retain Yates, they could be in the market for setup pitchers and middle relievers to bolster a bullpen that has ranked in the bottom half of bullpen ERA in each over the last two seasons.