A day after Texas Rangers manager Bruce Bochy stated that he believed top prospect Kumar Rocker was in the right place for his development towards 2025, it seems his superior has not completely ruled out the possibility of promoting Rocker.

According to the Dallas Morning News, Rangers general manager Chris Young indicated that the team has not “ruled out the possibility” of bringing Rocker up to the major leagues. Rocker last pitched on Friday with Triple-A Round Rock.

Bochy confirmed that Rocker was part of their conversations about the rotation for the remainder of the season, which may include the expected returns of Jacob deGrom and Max Scherzer. However, he noted, “Nothing close there. We’ve talked about it, so that’s part of our discussions.”

Just the previous week, Young had suggested that calling Rocker up after just one Triple-A start was “getting too far ahead” of the current plans, especially after Rocker struck out 10 in his debut with Round Rock. Rocker is considered the top prospect in the organization.

So what has changed since his latest minor-league outing? Rocker continues to dominate on the mound. He struck out eight in five innings on Friday, allowing two earned runs and three hits.

The 24-year-old has now made 10 minor-league appearances, holding a 0-1 record with a 1.96 ERA over 36.2 innings, which includes 55 strikeouts and five walks, with opponents batting just .180 against him.

Bochy remarked that Rocker is “not the same pitcher” he observed during spring training in 2023, before Rocker underwent Tommy John surgery for an elbow injury. He also noted that Rocker’s recovery timeline resembles that of deGrom, who sustained a similar injury around the same period.

deGrom is expected to return to the mound this week, likely in Seattle.

There are various considerations for Rocker’s promotion. As a young pitcher recovering from major surgery with only 36 innings pitched this season, Young mentioned that the Rangers aim to limit his innings this year, with a restriction of around 50 innings cited. Since Rocker is not on the 40-man roster, any promotion would require adjustments to both the 40-man and 28-man rosters and would also initiate the clock on Rocker’s Major League service time.

Rocker’s status as a home-grown talent adds extra value, a rare asset for the Rangers in recent years. Bochy recognizes the importance of having such internal options. “There’s no doubt it keeps you from going outside,” Bochy said. “You have internal options. So it’s good to have Kumar healthy and giving us a great option.”