At some point in the coming weeks, the Texas Rangers will have to make a potentially franchise-altering decision.
Since the 2023 season where they performed at the peak of their powers to win their first-ever World Series championship, it has been nothing but disappointment.
Last year, injuries were the main reason.
Key players up and down the roster were placed on the shelf throughout the campaign, which made it difficult for the Rangers to ever get enough momentum to carry them back into the playoffs. But after their offseason was filled with notable additions and time to get those injured stars healthy, Texas was a popular pick to contend for another trophy.
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That has not happened, and heading into the All-Star break, the front office is faced with the decision to become sellers.
Getting back pieces for future success is starting to feel like the smartest course of action barring a red-hot stretch that puts the Rangers firmly in the Wild Card picture before the July 31 trade deadline.
With an aging roster, extending their championship window by restocking talent is vital.
On the offensive side of things, it seems like Texas has two players they can build around going forward in Wyatt Langford and Evan Carter, with some other highly-touted prospects set to join them in the coming years alongside current superstar Corey Seager.
However, the pitching outlook didn't appear as rosy to start the season.
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Kumar Rocker and Jack Leiter are seen as the two aces of this franchise going forward, but both have had their ups and downs in The Show during the early part of their careers.
For Rocker, how he looked to begin this year was alarming.
After his first five starts, he sat with a 8.10 ERA, only striking out 16 batters in 20 innings pitched while giving up 30 hits and 18 earned runs.
Rocker was placed on the injured list with an impingement in his right shoulder on April 24, but even after getting healthy for his June 4 start, the five earned runs he allowed in 3 1/3 innings pitched forced Texas to option him to Triple-A Round Rock.
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It wasn't clear what type of version the Rangers would get going forward, calling into question what exactly the future of their rotation entailed with their former third overall pick struggling.
However, since being recalled on June 15, Rocker has flashed his high upside.
He has a 2.49 ERA across his four starts after being brought back up, allowing two or fewer runs in all of those outings. He's also rung up 20 batters in 21 2/3 innings pitched with seven walks.
Rocker focused on expanding his arsenal during his stint with Triple-A, and that has been driving his success by becoming less predictable with his ability to throw five different pitches.
The 25-year-old will likely have some more growing pains this season, but the fact that he is performing like a top-of-the-rotation arm he was billed to be coming out of college creates a much more optimistic picture of what things will look like in Texas going forward.
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