ARLINGTON, Texas — Trevor Williams will open Friday’s game for the Texas Rangers against the Tampa Bay Rays. Texas announced Williams as the opener at 10:12 p.m. CT Thursday, shortly after beating Tampa Bay 6-0 at Globe Life Field.
Kumar Rocker had been lined up to start Friday. He is 5-10 with a 4.44 ERA this season over 26 appearances, 24 of them starts, with 129 2/3 innings pitched.
Trevor Williams’ Move From Washington To The Texas Rangers
Texas added Williams on a major league deal on Sept. 1. The move was announced that morning at 10:30 a.m. CT.
The other roster addition that day was infielder/outfielder Cam Cauley, who came up from Triple-A Round Rock. The two moves filled the extra spots available when active rosters expanded to 28 players.
Williams became available after Washington let him go last week. The Nationals had designated him for assignment Aug. 25, two days after his last appearance for them. He was in the second season of a two-year, $14 million deal signed after 2024. Washington is still on the hook for most of the contract, while the Rangers owe only the prorated league minimum for the time he spends with them.
Jeff Wilson of DLLS Sports reported that Williams would be postseason eligible if Texas gets in. Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News wrote when he signed that the Rangers planned to use Williams out of the bullpen.
Trevor Williams’ Return From Elbow Surgery
Williams missed the first half of this season while recovering from internal brace surgery on his right ulnar collateral ligament in July 2025. He made six rehab appearances in the Nationals system and came off the 60-day injured list on July 29.
He worked 8 times in relief for Washington between July 29 and Aug. 23, posting a 2.65 ERA with 5 earned runs over 17 innings, 22 strikeouts, and 6 walks. He finished 5 of those 8 games.
Williams has made one appearance for Texas. He gave up 4 hits and 3 earned runs over 1 1/3 innings.
Trevor Williams At Globe Life Field And Across 11 Seasons
Friday would mark Williams’ first major league start for an American League team.
Miami selected him in the second round of the 2013 draft out of Arizona State. He went to Pittsburgh in a trade after the 2015 season and made his major league debut for the Pirates on Sept. 7, 2016, against St. Louis.
Through Aug. 23, Williams had pitched for Pittsburgh, the Chicago Cubs, the New York Mets, and Washington over 11 seasons. He was 53-65 with a 4.43 ERA and 1.373 WHIP in 227 games, including 178 starts.
He had logged 1,026 career innings with 847 strikeouts through his time with Washington. His work out of the bullpen covered 49 appearances with a 3.66 ERA.
Entering September, Williams had thrown 8 1/3 scoreless innings in two career games at Globe Life Field, one of them a start.
The Rangers carry a 4.36 bullpen ERA, which ranks 23rd in the majors. Jack Leiter is on the 60-day injured list and Nathan Eovaldi is on the 15-day injured list.
Texas comes into Friday at 70-71, sitting one-half game behind Cleveland for the last American League wild-card spot. Tampa Bay is expected to start right-hander Nick Martinez, who is 13-4 with a 2.99 ERA. Martinez broke into the majors with Texas and spent his first four seasons with the Rangers.
The series continues Friday at Globe Life Field, with first pitch at 7:05 p.m. CT on Rangers Sports Network.
