Kumar Rocker, Jack Leiter frustrations have Rangers fans calling for desperate change

There was absolutely nothing good about what the Texas Rangers did in the process of getting swept by the middling Twins over the week. Minnesota was one of the worst road teams in MLB, and came to Globe Life Field and took the Rangers out behind the woodshed.

In a series filled with disappointments, maybe the most discouraging aspect was the continued decline of back-of-the-rotation pitchers Jack Leiter and Kumar Rocker. The Vanderbilt products had pitched better at home so far, but both took their team out of the game immediately.

Where do the Rangers go now with Kumar Rocker and Jack Leiter regressing in 2026?

Before Ranger fans were able to get comfortable in their seats with a hot dog and cold drink, the Rangers were down big in the two games started by Rocker and Leiter. For Rocker, he couldn't locate his fastball and gave up yet another leadoff homer to Trevor Larnach, and the Rangers were down 2-0 just like that. They were mercy-ruled 12-2 in a game that was over in the first inning.

Similarly, Leiter grooved a fastball to Brooks Lee in the top of the first, and Texas was in a 4-0 hole right away. Again, game over at that point as the Rangers were hammered again, 9-3.

So what are the Rangers' options now that it is clear that neither of these guys is ready to be a consistent contributor to the starting staff? Well, none of the answers are very good.

To be clear, there is no help coming up from the minor league system. There are no pitchers at either Frisco or Round Rock who Skip Schumaker and Jordan Tiegs would trust above Leiter or Rocker. Jose Corniell is perhaps the club's most MLB-ready option, and he is carrying an ERA above 6.00 at the moment.

Cal Quantrill has been a starter in the league for most of his career, but he is 31 and trending in the wrong direction over the last five years while pitching for five different teams. He hasn't delivered an ERA of under 4.98 since 2022, and wouldn't be much of an upgrade either. You could send one of them a message and give Quantrill a shot, but it likely wouldn't go much better for him.

Schumacher can always roll out a bullpen game and see where that gets you, but using up your relief arms is not sustainable or realistic.

The only real solution outside of a trade is to wait it out with your first round investments, who are still very young in MLB terms, and hope that they continue to grind it out and find their way before this season is completely lost.

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