SURPRISE, Ariz. — The Rangers will break camp in eight days. They are less than two weeks from opening day in Philadelphia.
It is time to start narrowing down roster decisions.
On Thursday, after a mid-camp off day, manager Skip Schumaker said he felt generally optimistic about where the Rangers’ stood on constructing the opening roster. Which, all things considered, really isn’t much different from where they stood going into camp.
Most things were set. The finishing elements were on the margins. A fifth starter. An outfield alignment; not roster spots, but more aligning guys. A handful of jobs in the bullpen. If anything, the bullpen may slowly be sorting itself out, especially with news that the club was finalizing a major league deal with veteran lefty Jalen Beeks. It may solve a question, but the bullpen remains the primary focus.
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“The bullpen is a lot more challenging,” Schumaker said. “There are a couple guys that have looked really good. There’s a couple of guys that are really fighting mechanics and everything else. So, I still think there’s a couple spots that are up for grabs, and we’ll see what happens over the next 10 days.”
Here is what the Rangers have to work through:
An optionable reliever
Schumaker acknowledged that at least one of the eight bullpen arms the Rangers keep must have remaining minor league options to give the Rangers flexibility if they need a fresh arm. The only possibilities on the 40-man roster are Alexis Diaz, who seems to have pitched himself out of the competition with a lack of command, and Luis Curvelo. Curvelo pitched around a fielding error and a broken bat, cue-balled single to preserve a one-run ninth inning lead in the Rangers’ 7-6 win Thursday.
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It may not bode well for Josh Sborz, whose velocity ticked up over 94 mph on Thursday, but the gain in velocity seemed to be at the cost of command. He allowed three hits and a walk and got neither a called strike or a swing-and-miss against his fastball.
“I’m not going to base anything on one outing,” Schumaker said.
The bullpen situation is made complicated by the possibility the Rangers keep Rule 5 pick Carter Baumler. He’d effectively pitch as the last man in the bullpen, who traditionally would be the first guy optioned after a long outing. But, per the Rule 5 stipulations, Baumler couldn’t be optioned to the minors without first being offered back to his original club, Baltimore.
It likely leaves the Rangers with Chris Martin, Robert Garcia, Jakob Junis, Cole Winn and Tyler Alexander and Beeks, providing he passes his physical, as sure things. Baumler would be the seventh.
The No. 5 starter
A week ago, this seemed about over. It appeared Kumar Rocker had come up short against Jacob Latz. But conditions can change fast out in the desert.
In Latz’s most recent start, which was largely successful, the Rangers saw velocity drop in the fourth inning. Latz’s ability to maintain velocity deeper into games has been the chief concern about his transition to starter. Then, Rocker had his most impressive outing of the spring with three solid innings behind Jacob deGrom on Tuesday. It makes Latz’s start on Friday against Colorado more interesting.
Texas Rangers pitcher Kumar Rocker delivers during the first inning of a spring training game against the Chicago Cubs on Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026, in Mesa, Ariz.
Smiley N. Pool / Staff Photographer
Rocker’s outing also made it possible to consider some creative thinking: If the Rangers need an optionable reliever in April, when starters are generally on more restrictive pitch counts and multi-inning relievers are more in demand, might Rocker fit the need for a month to get him more work against big-league hitters? He’d also be optionable, which is a need for that final reliever. And he could then return to starting, which is where the Rangers still believe he fits long-term. Schumaker said the Rangers have not discussed Rocker in the bullpen temporarily, but added the club would leave open all options in final roster construction.
Who is in center?
Manager Skip Schumaker said he still hasn’t resolved center field, but most indications seem to suggest that Evan Carter, who started there for the ninth time this spring, probably winds up there. Carter and Wyatt Langford have played three games together with Carter in center the last two times.
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While that is in no way a decisive edge, the Rangers have indicated more definitively that they intend to give Carter runway as an everyday player who would also face lefties. But the most practical reason for swapping Carter and Langford was the possibility of Carter being more strictly a platoon player, which would potentially necessitate Langford moving over from center for 40-50 starts. If the Rangers are more committed to Carter, it might make more sense to leave him in center, leave Langford in left and plan on a backup like Sam Haggerty filling in on the occasions when Carter gets a day off.
Third base
If there’s a new issue, it’s this one. Josh Jung hasn’t played since Feb. 24 due to an adductor muscle strain. While Schumaker expressed optimism that Jung could be ready to go by the end of the weekend, he also acknowledged that time will soon be getting short to get in enough at-bats to be ready for the start of the regular season. If he’s not ready, it may better secure the place of utility man Ezequiel Duran on the roster. Duran has been pushed by non-roster invitee Cameron Cauley, but the Rangers are likely to give the veteran a bit of runway in the season, especially with the possibility of a pressing need. The other veteran utility man in camp, Tyler Wade, had a rough day Thursday with a pair of errors at shortstop.
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