Three Texas pitchers reportedly forgoing the MLB Draft and planning to return to Austin
It was reported earlier today by OB’s Zach Symm that Texas is retaining Luke Harrison, Ruger Riojas, and Max Grubbs for the 2026 season as all three elected to pull their names out of the draft. While they were not seen as likely draft candidates, this is a huge development and suggests that Texas is headed for another superb year on the mound.
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Harrison posted an ERA of 3.06 over 35.1 innings pitched in 2022. After an injury that forced him to miss all of 2023 and likely limited his usage in the 2024 campaign, he bounced back to the same 3.06 ERA under Jim Schlossnagle and Max Weiner in 2025. That was with 70.2 innings pitched as a key weekend starter. He will look to quell any concerns that the 2025 MLB draft may have by performing in 2026.
Riojas at UTSA was a strikeout machine with a low ERA. It is likely that the plan was for him to transfer into the SEC to Texas, prove his stuff can hang, and see what the MLB thought. The first 54.1 innings for Riojas had him at a 2.98 ERA and he had stepped up into a massive starting role after the loss of Jared Spencer.
Unfortunately Riojas had his ERA skyrocket toward the end of the season in that new role. Around that time Riojas contracted the flu and lost a significant amount of weight, likely causing the dip in performance. All this probably played a massive role in his return to the 2026 Texas squad.
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The player that may be the most intriguing here is Grubbs. Him becoming one of the most clutch pitchers on a stellar 2025 staff wasn’t on many bingo cards back in 2023. In 2024, there was a lot of promise in his arm but he was forced into a starter’s role due to the lack of quality options
Oddly enough, that’s where he developed the stuff needed to become a door-shutter. For the 2025 campaign, Grubbs was the stopper. If Texas needed out of a jam, Grubbs was put out there to shut it down. In that role he pitched 57.0 innings with a great ERA of 2.84. This last season was probably intriguing but Grubbs will look to cement his status as a top reliever in the 2026 MLB draft class.
Three massive retentions to this 2026 pitching staff. They will look to give Weiner an incredibly solid foundation to lean upon in his second year at Texas. After having a top-five pitching staff in 2025, Texas is looking to re-assert their dominance as a powerhouse pitching program.
