Texas Rangers Taking Smart Approach To Return of Injured Starting Pitcher

The Texas Rangers have had injuries pile up in their starting rotation but are not looking to rush back any starters.

That’s a prudent approach by Rangers manager Bruce Bochy, as the team is circling not being sellers at the trade deadline, but not necessarily buyers either.

A starting rotation with a 3.14 ERA, which is the second best in baseball entering play on June 19, has propped the team up through their 2025 MLB campaign.

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This has kept them competitive in the American League Wild Card race, but the impact of injuries is beginning to show.

But that won’t lead to Texas being hasty with star pitcher Tyler Mahle, who was placed on the 15-day IL on June 15 with right shoulder tightness.

Mahle alerted team doctors after his June 10 start against the Minnesota Twins, where he didn’t pitch six innings for a consecutive start.

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He gave up 10 hits and four earned runs in 5.2 innings. He only allowed eight earned runs in 34.1 innings pitched in May and has matched that total in June in 11 innings.

Shawn McFarland with The Dallas Morning News (subscription required) reported that the Rangers are still assessing the next steps for Mahle and have effectively placed him in limbo while they determine them.

The righty starter has yet to throw since landing on the IL four days ago. Texas is still evaluating him, so he is uncertain about when that will come next.

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It’s worth noting that Mahle has a storied history of injuries and issues with his right shoulder in particular.

Mahle was placed on IL in 2022 with a strained right shoulder and then underwent Tommy John surgery on his right elbow in May of 2023. He missed the final month of the 2024 season due to right shoulder tightness.

While Rangers president of baseball operations Chris Young says that this injury is unrelated to the stress reaction in 2024, it’s still encouraging to see that things aren’t being rushed with Mahle, who is off to a stellar start.

He’s carried a 2.34 ERA in his first 14 starts and is 6-3 with strikeouts and 27 walks in 77 innings, which is on pace for a career best.

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As of Wednesday, Mahle said that his shoulder feels “good” and that it felt that way until his June 10 start in Minnesota.

“I felt good leading up [to his last start] that whole week,” Mahle said. “Threw a great bullpen, played catch every day and was feeling great. All of a sudden, that day, it didn’t feel right. That part of it is really frustrating but I’ve just got to get through it.”

Meanwhile, they called up Kumar Rocker, who pitched the first scoreless outing of his career in the 2-1 victory.

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