March 13, 2025 3:47 PM : Leiter is competing with Kumar Rocker to fill the spot in the Rangers' rotation vacated by Cody Bradford (elbow), Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News reports.
Analysis: Manager Bruce Bochy announced Thursday that Bradford would begin the season on the injured list with a sore left elbow. While it seems there's hope that it won't be a long-term absence, his spot will likely need to be filled at least a couple times. Leiter could be the favorite if the team goes mostly on spring training results, as he's allowed just three runs with a 13:6 K:BB over 10.2 innings. He was wild in his last outing, however, walking five over 2.2 frames while throwing more balls than strikes. Control has often been an issue for Leiter, but his stuff has ticked up this spring and he has looked dominant at times. It's a competition that could go down to the wire.