Rangers May Have Intriguing Answer to Closer Role Hiding in Rotation

Earlier this year there was talk of the Texas Rangers converting veteran starter Jon Gray into the closer role.

That was before the right-hander took a line drive off his pitching hand and went on the 60-day injured list with a right forearm fracture. He’s working his way back.

But, two months into the season, the Rangers are looking for some additional answers to the closer role and are reportedly considering converting a starter into a closer.

This one is also injured. But he’s much closer to returning to the rotation.

Kumar Rocker as a Closer?

Per Bob Nightengale of USA Today, the Rangers are “seriously” considering the idea of taking Kumar Rocker out of the rotation and moving him into the closer role when he’s ready to return from the injured list. He is on the 15-day IL with a right shoulder impingement and just finished a rehab start at Double-A Frisco.

“… the Rangers believe that his fastball-slider combo could be lethal in the pen,” Nightengale wrote

By moving him to a closer role, it would lessen the need to stretch Rocker out to a starter’s workload. In his first rehab game, he threw three innings, giving up two hits and striking out three. He didn’t allow a walk. He threw 34 pitches, with 23 being strikes.

Rocker has never been a reliever at the Major League level. But he’s only made eight starts. The Rangers’ 2022 first-round pick pitched in 17 games in the minors, with 16 being starts. He’s never been used as a high-leverage reliever.

Still, his stuff was so respected that he was a Top 100 prospect according to most prospect outlets, including MLB Pipeline, while he was in the minors.

The Rangers have had a solid bullpen this season, but lately it’s been in flux. Luke Jackson started the season as the closer and converted eight saves in 10 chances. But he hasn’t converted a save in May.

Shawn Armstrong has become the de facto closer in May and has converted two out of four tries. Robert Garcia has emerged as a solid set-up option. But 39-year-old Chris Martin, who has 22 appearances, is on the 15-day IL with right shoulder fatigue. Even with an 0-4 record, he has a 1.83 ERA and batters hit just .205 against him.

Six different Rangers relievers have recorded saves this season. No one has truly locked down the job.

The idea carries risk. Closer is a hard job and not everyone is up for the job. Rocker has never done it before. But, Texas has nowhere to put Rocker when he’s ready to come back from the IL because the rotation is in good shape and depth like Gray and Cody Bradford will be ready soon.

Texas may need to turn to Rocker to solve a problem before it spins further out of control.