Analyzing Rangers’ top candidates for the final spot in the starting rotation

While the Texas Rangers are building their 2026 Opening Day roster and the starting rotation is solved 1-4, it's the final starting job still up for grabs as Texas enters the final two spring games on Monday and Tuesday.

Texas has already announced they are going with Nathan Eovaldi, Jacob deGrom and MacKenzie Gore for the opening series in Philadelphia and Jack Leiter is expected to get in early during the Baltimore series. Who goes fifth?

Breaking down the case for Rangers' pitchers under consideration for fifth rotation spot

Frontunner: Kumar Rocker

After a recent stretch of good performances for the 26-year-old has given Skip Schumaker a lot to consider. He's impressed his new manager not only with the outcome but also the deeper metrics during his outings.

To make matters better for Rocker, it was the most recent start of the spring from Jacob Latz that is giving him the edge. Latz, 29, surrendered nine runs (seven earned) in just three innings of work. While Schumaker noted it's not one game that makes or break a player's spot, this is not the best performance to give this late in spring.

Next best option: Jacob Latz

As mentioned above, Latz likely entered last week as the frontrunner for the fifth spot over Rocker but it was a bit of a downturn during Latz's Thursday outing against Milwaukee. That's hard to do during the final week of spring training when making a push for a specific role on the team.

In 15.1 innings of work for Latz thos spring, the southpaw went 1-1 with an 8.22 ERA (5.11) before that Thursday outing. He did manage to strikeout 15 batters and walk just eight batters. It's also worth noting that prior to Latz's last outing, Rocker and him were close in almost every pitching category so he still has a good shot.

Longshot candiates: Austin Gomber, Cal Quantrill

The other two options would be Gomber and Quantrill, both veterans that signed minor league deals with Texas this offseason and given the opportuinity to compete with the likes of Rocker, Latz and others for a spot on the pitching staff.

As for Gomber, the lefty threw 12 innings this spring, recording a 5.84 ERA, eight strikeouts, six walks and a .301 opponent batting average. Then Quantrill, 31, didn't have a long stint with Texas this spring after pitching for Canada in the World Baseball Classic. He did give himself a great chance with an electric start in WBC Pool play against Cuba.

Both options are long shots for the fifth spot and even for the roster but one might be able to sneak into the bullpen if needed.