Rangers Swept by Royals as Caglianone’s Home Run Barrage Exposes Texas Pitching Crisis — Injuries to Eovaldi, DeGrom Add Fuel to Fire, Rocker Thrust into Spotlight

The Texas Rangers’ spiraling season hit a new low as they were swept in humiliating fashion by the surging Kansas City Royals. Slugger Jac Caglianone erupted for two mammoth home runs in the series finale, highlighting just how badly things have deteriorated for Texas on the mound. What was once expected to be a dominant rotation has suddenly become a patchwork of question marks, and now, with Nathan Eovaldi and Jacob deGrom both landing on the injured list, the team is being forced to fast-track young arms like Kumar Rocker into critical roles.

The Royals closed the three-game sweep with an emphatic 9–3 win, powered by Caglianone’s pair of blasts—one a towering 452-foot shot that left fans in awe and Rangers pitching in pieces. The rookie’s bat not only sealed the sweep but served as a loud, national reminder of just how deep Texas’s pitching problems now run.

The Rangers entered this season boasting one of MLB’s most formidable rotations, headlined by aces like Eovaldi and deGrom. Now, with both sidelined by injury — Eovaldi with forearm tightness and deGrom still recovering from a troubling elbow flare-up — Texas is suddenly staring down a crisis of depth, talent, and experience.

Nathan Eovaldi, who had been serving as the Rangers’ de facto ace while deGrom recovered from Tommy John surgery, was placed on the 15-day IL over the weekend. Shortly after, the team announced a setback in deGrom’s rehab process, with no clear timetable for his return. Manager Bruce Bochy called it “a punch to the gut,” adding, “We’re going to need some guys to step up—and fast.”

The Royals rookie, long touted for his power potential, made Arlington his personal launch pad over the three-game set. In total, he went 6-for-12 with three home runs and seven RBIs, torching Rangers pitching with ruthless efficiency. His ability to turn around both high heat and hanging off-speed pitches exposed just how hittable the Texas staff has become.

Texas fans booed loudly during Caglianone’s second home run trot, and frustration spilled over on social media, with many blaming the front office for failing to build more rotation depth behind its injury-prone aces.

opportunity, the Rangers announced that top pitching prospect Kumar Rocker will be promoted to the big leagues and is slated to make his debut in the upcoming series against the Detroit Tigers. Rocker, the former Vanderbilt star who underwent Tommy John surgery himself last year, has been lighting it up in Double-A Frisco this season, but this is not the timeline the organization originally planned for him.

The pressure now falls heavily on Rocker’s shoulders—not just to perform, but to help stabilize a rotation teetering on collapse. The Rangers bullpen, already stretched thin, cannot be counted on to shoulder extended innings without further damage to its effectiveness.

With the American League West tightening by the day and rivals like the Mariners and Astros making strides, Texas can ill afford to let this spiral continue. The front office is reportedly exploring trade options, but with the deadline still weeks away and the cost of starting pitching on the rise, internal solutions may be the only realistic path forward in the short term.

Young arms like Rocker, Owen White, and Cole Winn are now under the microscope. Dane Dunning may be asked to take on a larger role. And all the while, fans will continue to ask: How did a rotation once hailed as elite fall apart so quickly?

The sweep at the hands of Kansas City was more than just three losses—it was a brutal wake-up call for a team that once dreamed of another postseason run. With Caglianone’s bats still echoing through Globe Life Field and their two veteran starters sidelined, the Rangers are in a full-blown pitching crisis.