Kumar Rocker injury history: MLB draft prospect has question marks

Kumar Rocker was once considered a top MLB Draft prospect but his murky injury history created concerns around the pitcher before the Rangers drafted him.

It’s been a wild year for Kumar Rocker, who was once seen as the top available prospect in the 2021 MLB Draft.

He fell to the Mets No. 10 in last year’s draft because of uncertainty around his velocity, then had the team that drafted him back out because of something in his post-Draft physical.

He was back on the board for the 2022 MLB Draft where the Texas Rangers shocked everyone by taking him No. 3 overall.

If the Rangers were willing to take that chance, what injury concerns had others spooked?

Kumar Rocker injury history

The Mets never revealed exactly why they accepted a compensatory draft pick rather than attempt to sign Rocker. The pitcher did skip the MLB Combine process and the physicals that would have come with it after showing velocity issues during his final season at Vanderbilt. It seemed something was wrong, it just what’s clear what it was.

Rocker had shoulder surgery in September, per MLB.com. Whatever was ailing him seems to be cleared up in appearances with the Tri-City ValleyCats of the Frontier League, he was able to throw 99 mph while maintaining a 1.35 ERA in 20 innings.

There were questions before the draft about whether he would go in the first round. Clearly, the Rangers aren’t worried about his injury status in the slightest.