The Rangers’ starting rotation is in shambles with just days until Opening Day.
Jon Gray became the latest casualty Friday when he took a line drive off his right wrist, resulting in a fracture. It’s another blow to a Texas staff already dealing with Tyler Mahle’s forearm soreness, Cody Bradford’s elbow discomfort, and Jacob deGrom’s stomach virus.
Nathan Eovaldi, who was just named the team’s Opening Day starter, is currently the only fully healthy member of the projected rotation. Knock on wood.
This injury pile-up leaves the defending World Series champions with an uncomfortable choice: trust unproven prospects or turn to underwhelming veterans to fill the gaps.
Rangers fans are understandably eager to see former Vanderbilt first-round picks Kumar Rocker and Jack Leiter get their shot. But the results have been mixed this spring. Rocker has been absolutely shelled, posting a 22.85 ERA in ‘A’ games. Leiter has looked more promising with a 2.53 ERA, though he walked five batters in his most recent outing.
General manager Chris Young seems hesitant to rush either prospect.
“They should earn the opportunity,” Young told Grant. “… I think there is a big difference mentally for a player that earns it versus one that has been given an opportunity.”
The other in-house options aren’t exactly inspiring. Non-roster invitees Adrian Houser, Patrick Murphy and Caleb Boushley are in camp, with Houser being the only one with significant big-league experience (over 100 starts).
Texas could look to the free agent market where Kyle Gibson and Lance Lynn remain available, but that seems unlikely. The Rangers are hovering near the luxury tax threshold and probably won’t spend to address what they hope are temporary absences.
What’s most likely is a heavy early-season workload for the Rangers’ bullpen while they piece together starts from whoever’s available. It’s not ideal for a team looking to defend its title, but that’s the reality facing Bruce Bochy’s squad as Opening Day approaches.
