The Texas Rangers’ fifth start to start the season will be Kumar Rocker, the team announced today. Jacob Latz, who was competing with Rocker for the fifth starter spot, will open the season in the bullpen.
In addition, the team announced that Andrew McCutchen, Sam Haggerty and Ezequiel Duran have made the club, and Mark Canha, barring an injury, will not.
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Finally, Evan Carter will be the primary center fielder, with Wyatt Langford shifting to center field when Carter gets a day off. Carter, per team president Chris Young, will sit against some lefties, but will not be platooned to start the year.
It appears that 25 of the 26 spots in the roster are now set, with the only question remaining being who will get the final spot in the bullpen. Carter Baumler, Josh Sborz and Luis Curvelo are considered the leading candidates. Baumler, as a Rule 5 selection, would have to be put on waivers and, if he clears, offered back to the Baltimore Orioles, from whom he was selected, if he’s not on the major league roster or the major league injured list.
I don’t think there are any real surprises with these announcements. From the time he was signed, it appeared that a roster spot was McCutchen’s to lose, and he has performed well in exhibition games since signing. Rocker’s strong finish to the spring, along with Latz seeing a velocity dip in his last start and his overall value as a reliever, seemed to give Rocker the edge for the fifth starter spot.
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