First baseman Jake Burger returned to the Texas Rangers after six games at Triple A Round Rock, where he batted .391 with two home runs.
ARLINGTON — The expectation when the Texas Rangers optioned Jake Burger to Triple A Round Rock was that he would be in the minor leagues for only the required 10-day minimum stay.
Burger was going to drop a level to clean up his swing and clear out his mind, and the Rangers believed it would take only a few days for him to change the trajectory of his season.
He was back with the Rangers on Monday, the 11th day, to open a seven-game homestand after only six games with Round Rock. He batted .391 in 23 at-bats with two home runs and a 1.158 OPS.
The demotion wasn’t easy, but it was an opportunity to get better in the long run.
“I think there’s some stuff with my moves that I needed to work on, and I feel like I got that right,” Burger said. “But at the end of the day, a lot of it is effort level and not trying to do too much. I have a tendency to think too much about what the guy on the mound is doing to me rather than what I’m going to do to he guy on the mound.”
Burger carried a .190 average into the opener of a seven-game homestand. He said that the Rangers wanted to see him cut down his chase rate and be ready when he saw his pitch rather than making weak contact or swinging and missing.
He batted seventh in a lineup that was missing Corey Seager and Josh Smith. The Rangers optioned first baseman Blaine Crim back to Round Rock to end his first stint in the major leagues.
Pitchers make progress
Right-hander Kumar Rocker (shoulder impingement) threw 26 pitches off the mound at Globe Life Field and could be dispatched for a rehab assignment next week.
Rocker, the third overall pick in the 2022 draft, hasn’t pitched since April 23, when he allowed five runs in 1 2/3 innings at Sacramento. He said that he started throwing off a mound last week.
Before he goes on a rehab assignment, though, he must complete a round of live batting practice. The Rangers might ask him to throw another bullpen session before facing hitters.
Left-hander Cody Bradford could throw a bullpen session Thursday in his next step back from elbow inflammation. He is not throwing breaking pitches yet as the Rangers are exercising caution, and Bradford continues to report no pain.
Right-hander Jon Gray has thrown out to 60 feet as he takes the initial steps back from a broken right wrist. He and Bradford remain several weeks away from returning from the 60-day injured list, while Rocker could be back from the 10-day IL by the end of the month.
Too soon for Boone?
Manager Bruce Bochy said that new hitting coach Bret Boone continues to gather information on the Rangers’ offense and that it’s too soon to say how much impact Boone is making with the offense. However, Bochy has seen a shift since offensive coordinator Donnie Ecker was fired May 4.
“I do like that at-bats,” Bochy said.
To that end, Bochy pointed to the game Wyatt Langford had Saturday, when he walked three times and scored three runs. Adolis Garcia drove in two runs in that game, also without a base hit.
The Rangers slugged eight home runs Saturday and Sunday, but they also did what the game asked them to do.
“You still have to play the game,” Bochy said.
Jeff Wilson, jwilson@alldlls.com
