Rangers could optimize their best arms with this move

As pitchers and catchers descend upon Surprise for the beginning of spring training, there is a lot of debate floating around about who will fill out the fifth and final spot in the Rangers' starting rotation.

The two names being tossed about most prominently are Jacob Latz, a versatile swingman who gave the team flexibility working in spot-start duty and out of the bullpen last season, and Kumar Rocker, the highly touted pick from Vanderbilt who has tremendous upside.

Here's an idea that some insiders have mentioned, which would allow Skip Schumaker and Jordan Tiegs to have their cake and eat it, too.

The Rangers have two viable starters that can compliment each other

With the starting pitching being the keystone for the team in 2026, the Rangers are in an enviable position of having more quality arms than they need.

Latz is a quality lefty who had his best season in 2025, registering a 2.84 ERA while being used as both a starter and reliever. He has a plus change-up and sneaky heat that can click in at 93-94 mph. He proved he can effectively soak up anywhere from four to six innings to begin a game.

Rocker is a bruising right-hander with live stuff who has all kinds of promise, but still needs to put it all together at the major league level. As such, he often has innings with pitch counts in the twenties and has struggled to get through five innings consistently, to date.

There is a simple solution as to how to handle the Rangers' fifth starter question

Here is where Nathan Eovaldi enters the picture. Coming off a season-ending injury in 2025, it is likely that Schumaker and Tiegs will have him on a fairly strict pitch count to begin the season.

Considering that he may be on a 75-85 pitch count, he will likely be handing off his first several starts to the bullpen in the 5th or 6th inning.

If that is indeed the case, then it would behoove the Rangers to use Latz twice a week in long relief of both Evo and Rocker instead of stretching him to five or six innings just once a week at the tail end of the rotation.

Such an approach would optimize the arm talent the Rangers have while allowing Evo to ease his way back. It would also let Rocker continue to improve his stamina and strategy as a starter while keeping Latz fresh in the role that he is most accustomed to and excels at in long relief.

If Rocker struggles or exceeds expectations or Cody Bradford returns and pitches well in May, then they can reevaluate the situation then. It's a most favorable position to be in heading into 2026, because even as good as Jacob deGrom and Eovaldi were last season, both are in their mid-to-late thirties and have injury concerns.