The Texas Rangers didn't really have a choice.
Starting pitcher Kumar Rocker was rocked on Wednesday night by the Rays.
And on Thursday, they sent him down to Triple-A, according to Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News.
Rocker had just returned to the majors from injury for Wednesday's start, but he didn't stick around long.
The 25-year old failed to cover first base in time on a grounder during his loss, then didn't turn around in time to throw out a runner heading home. In a 5-4 loss, that wasn't ideal.
“He made some mistakes,” Rangers manager Bruce Bochy said after the game. “And, of course, the biggest one is the fundamental of covering first base. The fundamentals got us tonight. That’s a basic play. It could have saved us two runs. He just forgot the situation and the other man on third and it compounded the damage. And that’s the difference in the ball game.”
Rocker was once a phenom at Vanderbilt with a 17-strikeout game in the College World Series as a freshman.
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He was originally drafted in 2021 by the Mets, but didn't sign due to a medical issue.
The Rangers picked Rocker as their first choice in 2022, then he tore an elbow ligament early in 2023.
Rocker has still thrown just 106 professional innings.
“Kumar has a bright future ahead of him, but there is more development needed for him to have the type of success we envision at the major league level,” president of baseball operations Chris Young told The Dallas Morning News. “With more innings and repetition he will continue to improve.”
Rocker had a 3.86 ERA in three starts at the end of the 2024 season. But so far at the MLB level in 2025, he has an 8.87 ERA in six starts.
The Rangers will just have to hope that sending him down gives him a chance to figure things out.
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