The Texas Rangers find themselves in a difficult spot after missing the playoffs for the third year in a row after winning the World Series in 2023.

To add insult to injury, the Rangers have not just missed the playoffs in the last three years; they have failed to post a winning record. This season may have been the best opportunity of the three years for them to get back, too. 

The Seattle Mariners fell off a cliff; the Athletics and the Los Angeles Angels remained bad and the Houston Astros were barely average. Still, Texas allowed its in-state rival to punch a ticket to October.

Now, the Rangers enter another offseason with seemingly more questions than answers. Some of their stars from the 2023 World Series team are aging, and certain youngsters have not proven they are ready for the big stage.

One such player who has struggled is Kumar Rocker, and for the sake of the team and his own career, he must find a way to get it together in 2027.

The 2026 season served as Rocker’s third year in Major League Baseball with the Rangers, and he did not demonstrate any noticeable improvement.

During Rocker’s first MLB season in 2024, he made only three starts after debuting on Sept. 12, and he went 0-2 with a 3.86 ERA over 11.2 innings, in which he struck out 14 batters while giving up six walks, 12 hits and five earned runs. Not great, but not bad for a rookie.

In 2025, Rocker’s role grew, and he started 14 games. However, his numbers were not a reflection of productivity, as he went 4-5 with a 5.74 ERA over 64.1 innings of work.

Rocker logged 56 strikeouts and gave up 71 hits, 41 earned runs (11 home runs) and 23 walks. It was a shaky year for the former No. 3 overall pick out of Vanderbilt.

This season, Rocker's role increased dramatically as his appearances more than doubled (30) and he made 27 starts. Still, he was not seizing the opportunity to show what he was capable of, and more of his struggles were on display.

Rocker went 6-11 with a 4.38 ERA over 148 innings pitched, and while he was able to lower his ERA, he just was not good enough to be what the Rangers needed from him. 

Rocker was much better on the road than he was at home. In 12 games (10 starts) away from Globe Life Field, he went 2-1 with a 3.88 ERA. In 18 games (17 starts) at home, he went 4-10 with a 4.70 ERA.

The good news for Rocker is that he is still only 26 years old, and perhaps a change in his offseason training and a tweak in his development from those responsible can aid him in reaching his potential. But for now, MLB has been hard on him.