Kumar Rocker to Be Promoted by Rangers; Will Make MLB Debut Thursday vs. Mariners

Kumar Rocker is heading to MLB.

Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News reported that the 2022 No. 3 pick was being called up to the Texas Rangers rotation and would make his first start against the Seattle Mariners, news that was confirmed by the team.

Rocker is rated as the Ranger's No. 2 prospect and is currently playing for the team's Triple-A affiliate.

Rocker has spent the 2024 season across various levels of the minor leagues and has impressed. His cumulative ERA is 1.96 across nine starts and 10 appearances. He has recorded 55 strikeouts in 36.2 innings and has issued just five walks.

He will reunite with Jack Leiter, his former collegiate teammate at Vanderbilt and will hopefully become a strong presence in the Ranger's rotation.

The 24-year-old's MLB experience has been rocky. This started in the 2021 Draft when he was selected with the No. 10 pick by the New York Mets. He originally agreed to a $6 million bonus with the team but a post-draft physical revealed some shoulder and elbow issues and caused the team to pull its offer.

After a stint in independent baseball, Rocker would go to the Rangers in the next draft and now will look to show his doubters why they were wrong.