Texas Rangers Boss Reveals Star Pitcher Dealing with Shoulder Tightness

The Texas Rangers may have a need to bring up a starter from the minor leagues, depending upon how things develop with this key starter

Jun 10, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Texas Rangers starting pitcher Tyler Mahle (51) delivers a pitch against the Minnesota Twins in the first inning at Target Field. | Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images

ARLINGTON — The Texas Rangers have had one of the best starting rotations in baseball this season.

One of the big reasons for that is Tyler Mahle. For the first time this season, he is dealing with something physical.

Rangers manager Bruce Bochy said on Saturday that Mahle is dealing with some shoulder tightness that he experienced during his last start in Minnesota on Tuesday.

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Mahle is not scheduled to pitch this weekend. The Rangers employed a bullpen game on Friday and have plans to do so on Sunday, depending upon how much of the bullpen is used in support of Saturday’s starter, Jacob deGrom.

“He felt it coming out of the last game,” Bochy said of Mahle.

Texas gave Mahle an extra day of rest before that start, employing a bullpen game last Sunday in Washington, in addition to the off day in Minnesota.

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Based on when Mahle last pitched and the plan this weekend, he would start next against Kansas City on Tuesday.

If Texas moved Mahle to the injured list, it could only backdate his IL stint by three days.

The 30-year-old right-hander has been tremendous this season for Texas, in his first full season since he recovered from Tommy John surgery, which happened in 2023. In 14 starts he is 6-3 with a 2.34 ERA, with 56 strikeouts and 27 walks in 77 innings. He is on pace for his best season since 2021 in Cincinnati, when he went 13-6 with a 3.75 ERA.

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In his last start against Minnesota, he gave up 10 hits and four earned runs in 5.2 innings, with three strikeouts and one walk. It was his second straight start in which he didn’t go six innings.

While Bochy expects to throw a bullpen game on Sunday, he does have a starter on stand-by — Kumar Rocker. He was in the clubhouse on Saturday. Bochy said Rocker was there because “we may need a starter.”

That may not necessarily be because of Mahle. Bochy said that the decision to use Rocker could come down to bullpen usage. He said after Friday’s bullpen game that the only pitcher he expected to stay away from was Shawn Armstrong, who started and threw three innings. Bochy expected the rest of the relievers to be available on Sunday.

The only two relievers that did not pitch on Friday were Caleb Boushley and Jacob Latz.

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