Jon

Gray

Corbin’s arrival provides the Rangers with an experienced back-end rotation stabilizer until Jon Gray (wrist) and Cody Bradford (elbow) are ready to return. We’re assuming that Jack Leiter’s rotation spot is secure following a strong spring, but the 35-year-old veteran’s presence puts some added pressure on Kumar Rocker in the lead up to Opening Day. It’s possible Texas will roll with a six-man rotation, but unless that happens, Rocker is likely the odd-man out. Corbin remains a perfectly cromulent innings-eater at this advanced stage of his career, but he offers virtually zero fantasy appeal after posting a lackluster 5.62 ERA, 1.50 WHIP and 139/54 K/BB ratio across 174 2/3 innings (32 starts) last year for the Nationals.

Gray will be shut down for the next six weeks as he recovers from a fractured right wrist and is unlikely to rejoin Texas’ starting rotation mix until at least late May or early June, even in a best-case scenario.

Rangers executive Chris Young outlined a rough timetable for Gray’s potential return, noting that the veteran right-hander is facing a “lengthy absence,” after suffering a fractured wrist when he was hit by a line drive during Friday’s spring start. The 33-year-old will require several weeks to ramp-up prior to his season debut, which puts his likely return sometime in the late-May or early-June range, barring any setbacks. His extended absence creates an opportunity for Kumar Rocker, who has been a bit wild this spring, to break camp in Texas’ starting rotation.

Ouch. Gray was struck by a line drive during the fourth inning of Friday’s game against the Rockies. It’s obviously terrible news for Gray and the Rangers and he’ll miss a significant amount of time. Just how long that timetable ends up being remains to be seen, though it will depend on whether or not the injury requires surgery. The injury could potentially open the door for Kumar Rocker to seize a spot in the Rangers’ rotation to start the season.

The right-hander struck out a pair of opposing hitters and didn’t issue a free pass. He returned to start the fourth inning, but took a line drive off of his pitching hand and was pulled from the game. He has been outstanding so far this spring, hurling eight shutout innings with a 1.00 WHIP and a 5/0 K/BB ratio. Expect an update on his hand shortly.

It didn’t appear as though Gray sustained any serious injury, but he was one batter into the fourth inning already so it’s best to play it cautiously in that scenario. Expect that he’ll head for precautionary X-rays just to make sure that he didn’t sustain any fractures. The Rangers should have an update on his status either after the game or on Saturday.

The 33-year-old right-hander punched out two batters on the day and didn’t issue a base on balls. He allowed a pair of two-out singles in the first inning, but was able to escape a jam by striking out Jordan Lawlar. Gray got four swings and misses on 40 pitches on the afternoon — three of those on his slider — while registering a CSW of 28 percent. As long as he makes it through the spring healthy, he’ll have a spot in the Rangers’ Opening Day rotation despite the rumblings that he could shift to the bullpen.

All signs point to Gray remaining a starting pitcher at the beginning of the season. If he doesn’t set himself apart in April, then maybe the bullpen could come calling. He is a reasonable bet to be a league-average starter while healthy. However, he hasn’t been particularly good since 2019. He hasn’t qualified for the ERA title since 2018.

It seems like if this is something the team is planning to go into the season with, it would have gotten in touch with Gray by now. Perhaps Gray could wind up in the closer’s role at some point during the season, but the Rangers will probably want him working as a starter right now, especially given the durability questions with their rotation.

According to Dallas Morning News’ Evan Grant, Bochy made it clear that it’s “hard to envision a scenario where a healthy Cody Bradford doesn’t have a role on this team.” However, that role could be in the bullpen, where Bradford has pitched well in the past. For now, Bradford is preparing to be the team’s fifth starter, but top prospects Kumar Rocker and Jack Leiter will also be in camp competing for that role and could push Bradford or Jon Gray into the bullpen.