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The Texas Rangers won’t repeat as World Series champions this season and won’t make the playoffs. But two pitchers expected to be important pieces for next year’s club are expected to pitch during the team’s series at Seattle next week, according to manager Bruce Bochy.
Jacob deGrom finished his rehab assignment with Triple-A Round Rock on Saturday, pitching four scoreless innings with one hit allowed and five strikeouts. In four rehab starts, the two-time National League Cy Young Award winner threw 10 2/3 innings, allowing one run and three hits with 15 strikeouts.
The plan is for deGrom and Max Scherzer, also returning from the injured list, to start during the Rangers’ four-game series against the Mariners next week. However, manager Bruce Bochy would not commit to an exact schedule because Texas will have a six-man rotation when the two veterans rejoin the team.
“We do have some flexibility there,” Bochy told the Dallas Morning News on Sunday. “So I’m not going to announce the day, or whatever, or what the plan is, but that’s what we’re talking about — how we want to get this worked out.”
For now, Nathan Eovaldi and Cory Bradford will start on Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively, against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Andrew Heaney and Jack Leiter will also pitch in Seattle. But the question is how much rest to give deGrom and Scherzer between their last rehab appearances and their next starts.
Further adding to Bochy’s dilemma might be calling up top pitching prospect Kumar Rocker. Rangers general manager Chris Young said it’s a possibility after Rocker struck out 18 combined batters in his two Triple-A starts, allowing two runs and one walk in 10 innings. Rocker was Texas’ No. 1 draft pick (No. 3 overall) in the 2022 MLB Draft.
“I feel really good,” deGrom told Bally Sports Southwest. “We thought it was really important to make this last start, get one more up and just work on my off-speed mainly. Trying to iron all that out before going back to trying to help the team.”
deGrom last pitched for the Rangers in April 2023, making six starts (striking out 45 batters in 30 1/3 innings) for the team before developing elbow inflammation and subsequently requiring surgery on the UCL in his right elbow. He signed a five-year, $185 million free agent deal with Texas and will have three full seasons left on his contract, in addition to a club option for 2028. With the option, deGrom could still be owed $135 million.
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