Brody Bumila can’t wait to pitch in the Texas Rangers organization, but the third-round pick will have to be patient while he recovers from a second elbow operation.
At 6-foot-9, Brody Bumila sees things from a vantage point that few have. That’s also true from his perspective as a first-round talent whose stock fell before the MLB Draft because of damaged elbow ligament.
“That’s life,” he said Sunday.
Only 24 hours earlier, the Rangers used their third-round pick on Bumila, an 18-year-old left-hander who was clocked at 101 mph this season at a Massachusetts high school. At some point this week, he would undergo another operation, this one by Dr. Keith Meister, that will keep him out all of next season.
He’s such a unique talent that the Rangers were willing to pay him enough, according to him, to forgo his commitment to Texas and then wait to see what he can do after his second elbow operation in the past two years.
“The downside is we have to wait a little while for Ranger fans and for all of us to see this guy on the mound and see what he’s capable of,” assistant general manager Josh Boyd said.
“But, as we all know, the way that pitchers come back from these injuries, especially under the care of our medical and performance staff and Dr. Meister, I think it’s second to none. So, we’re excited about that. We’ve just got to wait a little while, but that’s what we do in the draft. We’re playing the long game.”
The Rangers have not been shy when selecting pitchers who are coming off of injury. They drafted three players last year who were coming off of elbow surgery. Second-rounder AJ Russell underwent the brace procedure in 2024 at Tennessee, fourth-rounder Mason McConnaughey had Tommy John surgery late in the 2025 college season at Nebraska, and fifth-rounder Ben Abeldt had the brace procedure before his 2025 season at TCU.
The Rangers used their fifth-round pick Sunday on Penn State two-way player Michael Anderson Jr., who recently underwent the brace procedure.
Bumila said that he will visit with Meister this week to determine when he will have surgery. Bumila underwent the UCL brace procedure in May 2025 and could have full-blown Tommy John surgery this time.
Meister might not know until he cracks open the elbow that produced a 20-strikeout no-hitter this season and106 strikeouts in 44 1/3 innings for Bishop Feehan High School. Bumila, who models himself after Cy Young lefty Chris Sale, seems confident that he will get back to doing what he does best on the mound.
Bumila was also a standout basketball player, like 6-foot-11 president of baseball operations Chris Young was in high school and college. Bumila said is committed to only baseball and that the injury is just a minor speed bump to start his career.
“It’s just another step in the journey,” he said. “It’s just a scar on my body. It’s not going to define who I am. I’m just ready to go out, compete and work my ass off in the rehab, do everything as good as possible, and do what they want me to do before I go out and shove next fall.”
The Rangers selected 16 players Sunday, starting with Anderson. He was the first of 14 collegians picked after the Rangers used three of their four Saturday picks on prep players.
They took left-hander Gio Rojas in the first round (16th overall) from Stoneman Douglas HS in Florida and used their second-round pick (54th overall) on Austin Anderson HS shortstop Connor Comeux. Bumila was nabbed 89th overall before the Rangers took Ole Miss pitcher Hudson Calhoun.
Jeff Wilson, jwilson@alldlls.com
