The Texas Rangers have promoted top pitching prospect Kumar Rocker to their roster, and he is set to make his major league debut on Thursday against the Seattle Mariners.
Rocker previously attended Vanderbilt University and helped the Commodores reach the Men’s College World Series in 2021 before spending time pitching for the independent Tri-City Valley Cats in the 2022 season.
Solid showings with the Commodores and Valley Cats persuaded the Rangers to select Rocker with the third overall pick in the 2022 MLB Draft as the team was searching for a long-term answer at the most important position in the sport.
Rocker had a solid start to his MLB career with the High-A Hickory but was forced to sit out the season after six games due to Tommy John surgery in May 2023, which kept him out of the action for over one year, per MLB.com.
The 24-year-old has put together an impressive ERA of 1.96 in 10 starts across three different Rangers affiliates since his return from surgery, seemingly getting better with every one of his appearances.
Rocker’s two most recent performances were also some of his best games since joining the organization. He struck out a combined 18 batters while allowing just two earned runs in a total of 10 innings.
While speaking about the decision, Rangers general manager Chris Young said Rocker has “earned the opportunity,” and it will pay dividends for both him and the team in the future.
“I think the ability to get major league experience will serve him well for next season. I’ve talked with a number of former players about this, and it’s meaningful. I don’t really have anything profound to say about it,” Young explained, per The Dallas Morning News.
Rangers assistant general manager of player development Ross Fenstermaker credited Rocker for his strong work ethic and mindset, which helped him to bounce back from his injuries.
“He’s been dealt some challenging circumstances with things that were outside of his control,” Fenstermaker said, per MLB.com.
“But I think the biggest takeaway with Rock is he’s just so strong-willed and determined to achieve what he wants to achieve. He’s really built to handle adversity in a very high capacity. It’s impressive what he does and how he goes about it. I’m glad he’s a Ranger,” he said.
Rocker’s promotion comes as the Rangers continue to slip further away from the 2024 Playoffs. The team currently trails the Houston Astros by 7.5 games for first place in the American League West Division.
The Rangers will now look to make up ground on Houston in the final 18 games of the season, with Texas looking to keep a recent winning stretch going as the team prepares to take on the Arizona Diamondbacks on Tuesday at 8:40 p.m. CT.
Rocker will officially make his major league debut on Thursday against the Seattle Mariners, where the team will look to win an important game against a division rival.