Mariners to face Rangers’ top pitching prospect in his debut
Sep 9, 2024, 2:57 PM | Updated: 2:58 pm
Texas Rangers manager Bruce Bochy watches pitcher Kumar Rocker during 2023 spring training. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
(AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — The Texas Rangers plan to add top pitching prospect Kumar Rocker to their roster this week and expect the 6-foot-5 right-hander to make his big league debut Thursday night in Seattle against the Mariners.
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Rocker’s pending promotion was revealed by the team Monday, an off day before a two-game World Series rematch at Arizona. Texas (70-74) then opens a four-game series against the Mariners.
The 24-year-old Rocker has a 1.96 ERA in 10 games for three different Rangers affiliates since July 5 after coming back from Tommy John surgery in May 2023. In his final two rehab starts for Triple-A Round Rock, he had 18 strikeouts over 10 innings, and finished with 47 strikeouts and four walks in 29 2/3 innings over seven starts combined for Double-A Frisco and Round Rock.
Eight more K's for Kumar Rocker at Triple-A 😤
The @Rangers' No. 2 prospect has racked up 18 punchouts, while allowing just 4 hits over his first two starts for the @RRExpress. @MLBDevelops | @VandyBoys | @TEXPlayerDev pic.twitter.com/w26WihbA6B
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) September 7, 2024
Rocker was the third overall pick by Texas in 2022, the second draft in a row that he was a top 10 pick. He struck out 42 batters over 28 innings in six starts for Class-A Hickory and close to a promotion in 2023 before surgery, and will make his big league debut just under 16 months after that.
Texas drafted Rocker a year after concerns over a physical led to the former Vanderbilt standout going unsigned by the New York Mets as the 10th overall pick. The Rangers have said his elbow surgery resulted from an injury sustained while pitching for them at Hickory.
Rocker was 28-10 with a 2.89 ERA over 42 games from 2019-21 at Vanderbilt, where he was teammates with right-hander Jack Leiter. The Rangers drafted Leiter with the second overall pick in 2021, and he made his big league debut this season — and is now part of the Rangers rotation.
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