Kumar

Rocker

There simply isn’t a spot for Rocker in the Rangers’ rotation after picking up veteran Merrill Kelly at the trade deadline. The 25-year-old righty allowed three runs over 4 2/3 innings on Thursday against the Mariners, which likely sealed his fate. The 25-year-old former top prospect holds a lackluster 5.74 ERA, 1.46 WHIP and 56/23 K/BB ratio across 64 1/3 innings (14 starts) this season in the majors.

In what might be his final start in the rotation, Rocker had some good moments, but things fell apart in the middle innings. After firing three scoreless, he uncorked a wild pitch that scored Eugenio Suárez in the fourth, and then he gave up a pair of roundtrippers to Cole Young and Cal Raleigh, respectively. If Rocker does make another start it’ll be against the Yankees next week, and fantasy managers should look elsewhere either way. It just seems impossible to imagine he isn’t the odd-man out with Merrill Kelly joining the fold.

In terms of starting pitchers, the Rangers made the biggest splash on Thursday by acquiring the 36-year-old right-hander from the Diamondbacks. He’ll join Jacob deGrom and Nathan Eovaldi to form a very formidable trio come playoff time. The expectation is that Kumar Rocker will be the odd man out in the Rangers’ rotation and will either shift to the bullpen or head back to Triple-A Round Rock.

Rocker loaded the bases with two walks and a base hit in the first inning, but was able to escape with just one run on the board for the Braves. Two hits in the second brought a second run in for Atlanta. A walk and a double made put a third run on the board in the fourth. Rocker’s day would be done after four frames. He struck out five. The 25-year-old right-hander will take a 5.73 ERA, 1.44 WHIP, and a 53/21 K/BB ratio across 59 2/3 innings into a start against the Mariners in Seattle on Thursday.

Rocker was excellent on Saturday against the Tigers. He had walked three batters through five shutout innings, holding Detroit without a hit until Wenceel Pérez knocked a base hit with two outs in the sixth. Rocker would record the first out in the seventh and end his day at 96 pitches with five strikeouts. It was the best start of Rocker’s career thus far. The 25-year-old right-hander will take a 5.66 ERA, 1.40 WHIP, and a 48/18 K/BB ratio across 55 2/3 innings into a start against the Braves in Texas on Friday.

Corbin will get the nod to open the second half of the 2025 campaign, and he’ll be followed by Kumar Rocker on Saturday with Nathan Eovaldi starting Sunday. Jacob deGrom will likely start Monday, but that hasn’t been announced as of yet. Corbin did a solid job in the first half, but doesn’t offer a ton of fantasy upside; especially against a quality lineup like the Tigers.

Rocker allowed three homers over 4 1/3 innings, and he struck out a pair with one walk. He was fortunate that his pitching opponent, Kyle Hendricks, was just as bad when he was on the mound, so it’s a no-decision despite the scuffles. Rocker still has long-term upside, but just isn’t quite good enough to justify as a fantasy option at this stage of his career.

Rocker gave up four hits, walked two and struck out four. With the Rangers leading 2-1 in the sixth inning, Fernando Tatis Jr. tripled to right field on a fly ball that Adolis Garcia certainly could’ve caught. Two batters later, Rocker was out of the game. The Padres were able to tie the game there and eventually win in extra-innings. Rocker has a 41/14 K/BB ratio in 45 innings. His 3.91 xFIP is well below his 5.80 ERA. Rocker will face the Angels on the road next week.

Rocker gave up four hits, walked one and struck out six. The 25-year-old right-hander lowered his ERA to 6.13, but his 3.76 xFIP shows he’s been terribly unlucky this year. Rocker has a .358 BABIP and 63 percent left on base percentage, both of which are due to improve. Rocker has a 37/12 K/BB ratio in 39 2/3 innings over nine starts. He’s lined up to face the Padres on the road next weekend.

Rocker struck out five and got 12 whiffs in the 89-pitch outing. All five hits he allowed were singles. Since the Rangers have next Thursday off, they could send Rocker down to have another fresh arm available in the coming days. Still, he’s pitched well enough in two starts since his latest callup to justify sticking around. Of course, it helps that he’s faced the White Sox and Pirates, but he’s lowered his ERA from 8.87 to 6.68. If he sticks around, he’ll face the Mariners next.