Rangers’ last rotation spot still up for grabs
Rangers’ last rotation spot still up for grabs originally appeared on The Sporting News . Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here .
The Texas Rangers have not closed the book on their final rotation decision just yet, and that says a lot about how tight the competition has remained through the end of camp. Even after Jacob Latz was hit hard in his last spring outing, according to MLB.com's Kennedi Landry , manager Skip Schumaker made it clear that one rough day was not going to decide the fifth-starter battle by itself.
That matters because Latz, Kumar Rocker , Cal Quantrill and Austin Gomber have all spent spring in the mix for the last spot. Ryan Brasier , another veteran depth option, was released before the Rangers broke camp, narrowing the field but not resolving the question.
Latz may still have the strongest overall case if Texas values reliability and role flexibility. He posted a 2.84 ERA over 85.2 innings in 2025, including eight starts, and earlier this spring the Rangers were openly building him up as a starter after he proved he could help in both the rotation and bullpen last season. His spring ERA ballooned to 8.22 after his final outing, but the organization has repeatedly emphasized his process, workload buildup and health more than the raw exhibition results.
Rocker, though, remains the higher-upside choice. His spring numbers were better than Latz’s, and Schumaker pointed to improved mechanics and premium fastball velocity in the 97-99 mph range. The issue is that Texas still wants more consistency, more trust in the changeup and better control of the run game before fully turning that spot over to him. The talent is obvious, but the Rangers do not seem eager to rush the final stage of his development just because the stuff looks electric in March.
Quantrill is the wild card. He strengthened his case while pitching for Team Canada in the World Baseball Classic, and Schumaker acknowledged that the Rangers are still weighing not only rotation possibilities, but bullpen ones too.
In the end, president of baseball operations Chris Young may have framed this best: Texas is not asking for a star in that role, just someone who can get them through five innings and hand the ball to the bullpen. Based on that standard, the safest bet still feels like Latz, even if the door is clearly not shut on Rocker making a late push.
