Risks in Bruce Bochy’s 2026 Rangers rotation decisions
Bruce Bochy's departure leaves the Texas Rangers managing a fragile rotation centered on Jacob deGrom, who posted a 3.49 ERA in 18 starts. The team faces significant injury risks with aging arms and relies on unproven prospects like Emiliano Teodo to fill gaps.
Bruce Bochy is no longer managing the Texas Rangers. The team and Bochy mutually agreed to end his tenure after he finished with an 81-81 record, the first .500 mark in franchise history since 1961. He went 249-237 during a three-year stint that began with the 2023 World Series title but ended with two consecutive seasons of missing the playoffs. Chris Young, the president of baseball operations, offered Bochy an advisory role while pointing toward Skip Schumaker as the likely successor. This shift leaves the front office to manage a rotation riddled with injury risk and aging arms without Bochy’s direct input on daily workload management.
Managing the ace’s health
Jacob deGrom remains the central risk for any pitching strategy in Arlington. He underwent Tommy John surgery on June 12, 2023, which kept him out for the entire 2024 season. By July 2026, he was back in the rotation, posting a 3.49 ERA over 100 2/3 innings in 18 starts. However, he suffered a mild left-glute injury before the All-Star break, forcing him to throw a bullpen session before returning to start against the Chicago White Sox. His availability is fragile; over the past three seasons with the Mets, he averaged only 12.6 starts per year due to various ailments. The Rangers signed him to a five-year, $185 million contract despite this history, a move that contrasts sharply with New York’s preference for shorter deals with higher annual value. If deGrom misses time again, the depth chart offers little comfort. Nathan Eovaldi struggled with a rotator cuff strain earlier in the year, and Jordan Montgomery is a free agent whose status remains uncertain. The organization has also locked in Declan Cronin, who missed all of 2026 following his own Tommy John surgery in September. You know the basics of deGrom’s talent, but the medical timeline suggests his value is strictly conditional on staying healthy through August.
Relying on young arms
The alternative plan leans heavily on prospects who have not yet proven themselves at the major league level. Emiliano Teodo, ranked fourth in the organization, sits in Triple-A Round Rock with a two-seamer that averages 98 mph and can reach 102 mph. Scouts rate his power slider and changeup at 70 and 60, respectively, but he lacks the seasoning required for leverage innings. Winston Santos, another right-hander from the Dominican Republic, faces command issues and needs to improve his breaking pitches before moving up from Frisco. These players are part of a farm system that has been decimated by trades and promotions, leaving the Rangers to draft new cornerstone pieces like Will Brick, a high school catcher reclassified to the 2026 class. The risk here is not just performance but development speed. Teodo could serve as a back-of-the-rotation starter, but if the big-league staff falters, there is no clear bridge between the minor leagues and the majors. The previous manager relied on long hooks for starters to save bullpen arms, a strategy that worked when the staff was healthy. With Schumaker now in charge, the question remains whether these young arms can absorb the extra load without repeating the injury patterns that plagued the last two seasons.
