It wasn’t long ago when Kumar Rocker was dominating at Vanderbilt and expected to be one of the top picks in the 2021 MLB Draft.

Rocker was in fact a top pick in the MLB Draft… just not in 2021. After selecting Rocker with the 10th pick in the 21’ draft, the Mets failed to reach an agreement with the Vandy star due to concerns about his elbow during a physical.

After pitching to the tune of a 1.35 ERA with Tri-City of the Frontier League, the Texas Rangers surprisingly made him the number three overall selection in the 2022 draft.

Starting in the Arizona Fall League, Rocker struggled in his brief pro stint the same year he was drafted. Rocker entered the 2023 season ready for his first year in the minor leagues.

However, after just six starts with the A+ Hickory Crawdads, Rocker went down with a UCL injury that would eventually require Tommy John surgery.

Following a long rehab process, Rocker made his return in late July of this season and flew through the minor leagues with some eye-popping numbers.

Anytime your numbers in the Ariziona Complex League are your worst minor league outings, you’re in a really good spot.

Just three starts into a stint with the ACL Rangers, Rocker moved up to AA Frisco where he wowed the entire Rangers organization.

In five starts with the Roughriders, Rocker put up an ERA of just 0.46 in 19.2 innings pitched. Those 19 innings were all it took for Texas to send Rocker to AAA Round Rock where they assumed he would remain for the rest of 2024.

Safe to say they assumed wrong. After just two starts with the Express, Rocker has reportedly been called up to make his Major League debut on Thursday night against the Mariners.

1,158 days after the Mets drafted Rocker in the 2021 draft, he will make his MLB debut with the Texas Rangers.

For Texas, this rotation boost comes as both Jacob deGrom and Max Scherzer could be activated as soon as this weekend.

Not to mention his Vanderbilt teammate Jack Leiter is starting to find his footing at the Major League level.

Soon, the Texas Rangers rotation could feature Jacob deGrom, Max Scherzer, Jack Leiter, and Kumar Rocker…just like we all imagined right?