These 2 internal pitchers are frontrunners for Rangers final starting rotation spot

The Texas Rangers are still determined to add an additional starting pitcher via the free agent market but with each passing day, there are still starter options but are limited to cost or fit.

First three spots are more than solidified with Jacob deGrom, Nathan Eovaldi and Jack Leiter headlining the rotation, the Rangers will still need to go out and grab a free agent arm for the fourth spot as Cody Bradford is unlikely to be ready for Opening Day.

Then comes the fifth and final spot in the rotation. All signs point toward going internally with that and the choices are down to these two.

These 2 are internal frontrunners for the Rangers fifth rotation spot

Jacob Latz, LHP

Routinely used in long relief or garbage time throughout his first couple of seasons in the big leagues, the 29-year-old southpaw finally got a consistent shot to showcase his ability to pitch every fifth day after the Rangers dealt with injuries to the back of the rotation last season.

Texas had a glimpse of what was special from his first spot start of the year on a June night in Baltimore where he threw six scoreless and hitless innings for the first time in his career. He made that into eight starts, compiling a 1-0 record, 2.72 ERA, 34 strikeouts, 15 walks and held opponents to a .206 average in 36.2 innings of work.

Latz doesn't have the "stuff" that stands out among today's starters. He doesn't throw the ball super hard, averaging 94.2 mph on his four-seam velocity, but he has some of the best advanced metrics in arm extension and whiff rate.

Given what he was able to show in 2025, I imagine that a role in the rotation for Latz is something the team will certainly deeply evaluate once pitchers and catchers report to spring training next month.

Kumar Rocker, RHP

Rocker is a bit of a wild card heading into the 2026 season. At only 26 years old, the former third overall pick is still finding his groove in Major League Baseball after a less than stellar 14 game stint last season.

What we see from Rocker is a player with all the right "stuff" to be a workhorse and lethal member of a young Rangers' pitching core but he needs to put it all together. In 2025, he finished with a 4-5 record, 5.74 ERA, 56 strikeouts and 23 walks in 14 starts. What hurt him was that batters hit him hard. He was in the bottom five percentile in hard-hit and barrel rate while opponents hit .277 against the righty.

Good news is that the current timeline matches with what Texas got from Jack Leiter. Leiter was drafted one year prior to Rocker and therefore has an extra year of full-time pro ball experience, not hitting his full stride until last year. If that stays the same, we could be looking at a breakout year for Rocker in 2026.

Only way Rocker does get a spot in the rotation is if Texas goes into the year with no additional starters added to the roster, which I don't see happening. He will have to really showcase why he deserves the fifth spot over Latz or any other competitor.