Extension, debuts, and a Japan trip: Young breaks down busy week

ARLINGTON – Chris Young showed no signs of jetlag on Tuesday afternoon, despite returning from a trip to Japan amid one of the more consequential weeks for the Rangers this season.

Kumar Rocker made his big league debut on Thursday in Seattle. Then the team reached a multi-year extension with Young, promoting him to president of baseball operations on Friday. Jacob deGrom returned to the mound later Friday for his first start since April 28, 2023. Meanwhile, Young headed to Japan to check on the Rangers' operations there -- as well as reportedly getting an in-person look at pitching phenom Roki Sasaki.

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All of it is aimed at getting the Rangers back into contender status in 2025. It’s been a frustrating year for the reigning World Series champions but there is promise. Just look at how the Rangers opened their final homestand of the season, in a 13-8 win over the Blue Jays on Tuesday.

“I said it when I took the job originally that nothing would be more fulfilling and rewarding for me than coming back here and helping this franchise win a World Series,” Young said. “I feel the same way about the next World Series, and that's the goal.”

Young likes the core the Rangers have in place going forward. Some of it was on display Tuesday.

Rookie Wyatt Langford emerged as the star of the night with three hits and three runs scored, highlighted by a solo homer in the seventh. Langford now has hits in 13 of 15 games this month.

“I feel pretty good,” Langford said. “Safe to say we were all feeling pretty good at the plate. We had a lot of good at-bats as a team.”

Leody Taveras also went deep with a two-run blast in the eighth, finishing his night 3-for-5. Adolis García and Nathaniel Lowe produced two-out RBI hits to cap a five-run fourth inning, and Jonah Heim drove in the go-ahead runs with a two-run single in the sixth.

“Really throughout the order, good at-bats,” manager Bruce Bochy said. “A lot of clutch hitting, good two-strike hitting. The lineup kept things moving there and we needed it.”

All of those players are under team control going into next season.

So are pitchers such as Rocker and deGrom. Nathan Eovaldi, Tuesday night’s starter, is not, but he locked in a $20 million player option for 2025 by reaching 300 total innings pitched between his 2023 and 2024 seasons.

Eovaldi said it is nice to reach goals such as the 300-inning mark but will go over his contract situation with his agents after the season. However, he acknowledged how promising the Rangers rotation looks going forward with the likes of Rocker and deGrom.

"Having those two guys in any rotation, either one of them really, gives it a great chance and a boost," he said. "When you look back at the season this year, the time’s we were in it, our rotation, everyone was healthy and throwing the ball well.”

Turning the Rangers into a franchise known for pitching is something Young reiterated before the game. It’s not a finished product, but it is moving in that direction.

As Young put it, “We need to keep improving until we have Major League results for a sustained period of time. When we succeed as a team, we all share in that. And, in years like this, we all take responsibility and reflect on how we can get better. That’s part of our culture and what we will continue to do moving forward.”

Other issues Young addressed during his pregame media session included:

On his new title and whether there will be a GM: “We haven’t addressed that yet. If and when the right opportunity arises, we will. It’s not something I’m committed to, and it’s not something we’re ruling out right now.”

On the growth and development of the pitching staff: “It’s a really important aspect. When I came here four years ago, one of our goals was to be known for our pitching. I think we’ve taken steps in the right direction. It’s by no means a finished product, but I’m very excited about the progress we’ve made this year in our player development system and our pitching department. … We need to keep improving until we have Major League results for a sustained period of time.”

On Kumar Rocker’s debut: “I saw a player who was completely poised and in control. The game didn’t speed up on him when things got tough. He stuck to what he does well and was able to navigate through it. I just wish we could have had his pitch count higher to safely run him back out there. It was a great debut for the organization, for our fans, and, most importantly, for Kumar, who has waited so long for that opportunity. It was fun watching him.”