Texas Rangers fans disheartened as top prospect pitcher Kumar Rocker set to undergo Tommy John surgery: "Better now than five years from now" 

Kumar Rocker, a prospect pitcher that the Texas Rangers selected with the third overall pick of the 2022 MLB Draft, is set to undergo Tommy John surgery.

Rangers general manager Chris Young labeled Rocker's injury as "acute" while speaking with reporters on Tuesday. He also said that the torn ligament in his right elbow was a different type of injury than anything that appeared in his pre-draft medical reports.

Rocker is currently the sixth-ranked prospect in the Rangers' farm system. In six starts with High-A Hickory, he went 2-2 with a 3.86 ERA and 42 strikeouts.

While Kumar Rocker is not in the Texas Rangers' immediate plans, Tommy John surgery will push back any progress that the 23-year-old would have made in the minor leagues by, at least, a year, if not longer.

Rocker had been drafted three times in all before he signed with the Rangers last summer. He was selected out of high school by the Colorado Rockies in the 38th round of the 2018 draft. He attended Vanderbilt University rather than jump to the MLB.

He was selected with the 10th overall pick of the 2021 draft by the New York Mets, but did not sign. He also had not participated in a program that would have made his medical information available pre-draft.

Instead of signing Rocker, the Mets chose to receive a compensatory selection in the 2022 draft.

Kumar Rocker went 14-4 with a 2.73 ERA in 2021 at Vanderbilt, but did not return for his senior season after going unsigned by the Mets.

He had shoulder surgery in Sept. 2021, then signed with the Tri-City ValleyCats of the independent Frontier League prior to the 2022 draft. He went 1-0 in five games with Tri-City, sporting a 1.35 ERA and 32 strikeouts.

Young said that the Texas Rangers:

"Got a glimpse of how good he is, and it confirmed everything we thought."

While Rocker could return in as few as 14 months, the recovery timeline can stretch as long as 18 months. This means that the Rangers may not see him pitch again until 2025.

Of course, the Texas Rangers are dealing with another pitcher who many think may need Tommy John surgery: Jacob deGrom.

Texas Rangers may have gambled too heavy on Kumar Rocker

Kumar Rocker #80 of the Vanderbilt pitches against Mississippi St.

Time will tell if the Texas Rangers made the right call in selecting Kumar Rocker so high last year. It's not looking good so far.