Rangers hinting that former ace prospect might be high-voltage closer after return

Things in the Texas Rangers' bullpen these days are less than ideal. In fact, you could make the argument that it is the worst group of relievers in baseball right now and likely get little opposition.

So if the old axiom, "Necessity is the mother of all invention," is really true, then there has to be some merit to the rumors that the Rangers are entertaining the idea of moving prized starting pitching prospect Kumar Rocker into the bullpen as a possible closer.

The Rangers are desperate for bullpen help

We mentioned this possibility as a "pipe dream" of what the Rangers would do with Rocker when he is ready to return soon, and there being no place in the starting rotation for him. The notion of stashing Rocker in the pen isn't crazy, but using him as a closer when you've invested so much time and resources into making him a 100-pitch-per-outing starter seems farfetched.

Per Evan Grant, the reliable Rangers beat writer with The Dallas Morning News, Chris Young has admitted that the team has to be open to it, saying, "We are looking to win...We have to use our best arms." This would seem to indicate that desperate times call for desperate measures.

Kumar Rocker as the Rangers' closer report has also been denied, per reports

On the flip side of the same coin, there is also scuttlebutt coming from the Rangers front office that there is no such plan to change Rocker's role, and his trajectory is still high as a starter.

With DLLS Sports, Jeff Wilson posted early Monday afternoon that the Rocker to the bullpen rumors were unsubstantiated and "had not been discussed" by Young and manager Bruce Bochy.

So there appears to be some mixed messaging coming from Arlington, with two reputable sources reporting two separate things regarding the big right-hander from Watkinsville, Georgia, and what his future role with the team will be when he is fully healthy.