Kumar Rocker, the third overall pick in the 2023 MLB Draft will have his season cut short after Texas Rangers general manager Chris Young announced he will be having Tommy John surgery later this week.
A road of ups and downs for the former Vanderbilt star took a turn for the worse this week with the news of him needing Tommy John surgery coming out Tuesday night.
Rocker was picked 3rd overall in last year’s Major League Baseball draft after being selected by the New York Mets 10th overall in 2021, but due to an issue on his physical pertaining to his shoulder, the two parties failed to reach an agreement on a contract.
Entering this off-season, the Rangers 6th ranked prospect said he had dreams of making an impact for the Rangers on the Major League level.
“I see success, I see winning,” said Rocker in an interview with MLBbro.com last March. “It is going to be very special here in Dallas soon and I hope to be a part of it.
Rocker was pitching for the Rangers High-A affiliate in Hickory, North Carolina this season.
He had a 3.63 ERA in April with 29 strikeouts and only four walks and continued that success into his first start in May where he went six shutout innings allowing only one hit and striking out eight.
The team did not say how or when Rocker suffered the injury, but it can be assumed it happened in his final start last Thursday when he gave up five runs including the first two home runs of his professional career in 4.2 innings.
More updates will be given on Rocker’s recovery time after he has the surgery, but one would think with the long road of Tommy John recovery ahead of him, there is a chance he will not be back on the mound until late in the 2024 season or at the start of 2025.
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