Kumar Rocker is scheduled to pitch for the Texas Rangers on Friday night against the AL East-leading Tampa Bay Rays.
Rocker, though, isn’t expected to be on the mound in the first inning. Instead, the Rangers will employ an opener strategy with Trevor Williams.
“The Rangers will have Trevor Williams open for Kumar Rocker in tomorrow’s matchup with the Rays,” MLB.com’s Kennedi Landry posted on X late Thursday night.
Rocker has also pitched out of the bullpen on two other occasions this season, but in general, he’s a starting pitcher, so it’s notable that Texas has opted to go against that for the matchup with the Rays as the Rangers try to cling to any chance of making the postseason.
Why Isn’t Kumar Rocker Starting?
The reason that teams use openers in general is to try to:
- match up better with the top of the order
- avoid having the starting pitcher face an opponent’s best hitters three times
If Williams faces some of the order the first time through, then Rocker is seeing them fresh for the first time a few innings into the ballgame.
Because Rocker hasn’t been great this year — a 4.44 ERA contributing to a 5-10 record — the Rangers are trying to mix things up.
Trevor Williams Vs. Kumar Rocker
As far as pedigrees go, there is no context here.
Rocker was a college baseball superstar at Vanderbilt and was chosen in the first round by the Mets in 2021 and then by the Rangers in 2022 after medical issues pushed Rocker back into the draft.
He’s never really panned out at the MLB level, though. Rocker had a 5.74 ERA last season and it’s at 4.44 in 2026.
Rocker has struck out 8.6 batters per nine this season, which isn’t bad, but his 3.8 walks and 1.2 homers allowed per nine innings have held him back.
Williams is more of a journeyman, now at 34 years old, but he once was a second-round pick by the Marlins back in 2013.
He has yet to start a game this year, instead putting up a 3.93 ERA out of the bullpen in nine MLB appearances.
The first eight of those came with the Washington Nationals. The Rangers just got Williams at the end of August, and he has made just one outing for Texas — giving up three runs in 1.1 innings on Sept. 1.
Williams and Rocker are both right-handed, but at this point the crafty Williams does have a different kind of arsenal than what Rocker brings to the mound, so maybe that helps keep the Rays held down just a bit.
The top of Tampa Bay’s lineup is tough, with Junior Caminero at the heart of it but also featuring guys like Yandy Diaz and Jonathan Aranda having big seasons.
The Rangers are trying to counter that by having Williams go in front of Rocker. It might not work, but they decided it was worth a shot.
Rangers Make Bold Kumar Rocker Decision