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Rangers manager Bruce Bochy informed the club’s beat Tuesday that right-hander Tyler Mahle is going to be placed on the 15-day injured list with some shoulder stiffness.
Righty Jon Gray will be reinstated from his own IL stint in a corresponding move. Kennedi Landry of MLB.com was among those who relayed the news on X.
Mahle, now 29, underwent Tommy John surgery last summer just before hitting free agency for the first time in his career. The Rangers then signed him to a two-year, $22M deal, knowing that they wouldn’t be able to count on him to join the club until some point in the middle of the 2024 season at the earliest.
He was on the IL until two weeks ago and has since made three starts. He went five innings in the first of those, then four and two thirds, followed by just three innings in Sunday’s game.
It’s unclear if the shoulder was bothering him in his last outing or has been nagging at him since. While he was removed after just three innings, he also allowed four earned runs on six hits while recording just one strikeout, so his removal might simply have been about his performance rather than his health.
Shoulder issues have been a problem for him before, as he only made six starts after July 2 in the 2022 season due to a strain and some inflammation. Between those shoulder issues and his recent Tommy John layoff, it’s been three straight seasons of having a truncated workload.
The Rangers have fallen back in the standings lately and are now 11 games back of the Astros in the West and 12.5 games back of a wild-card spot. Both the playoff odds at FanGraphs and the PECOTA standings at Baseball Prospectus give them just a 0.4% chance of cracking the postseason at this point.
With the club’s season on the ropes, they can make their decisions based on optimizing results next year. Ideally, Mahle would be building up his workload since he hasn’t pitched much in recent years, but pitching through an injury would run the risk of aggravating a shoulder that has given him problems in the past, so it seems the club has decided a breather is the best decision for now. Assuming the issue isn’t major, perhaps he can return for the final few weeks and log some innings in September.
Going forward, the club’s rotation could be facing notable changes. Jacob deGrom is starting a rehab assignment this week and Max Scherzer will be as well, per Landry on X. When those two come back, they will likely slot into the rotation with Gray, Nathan Eovaldi and Andrew Heaney, with Cody Bradford and Dane Dunning also in the mix and perhaps Mahle coming back down the line.
Looking ahead to next year, Scherzer and Heaney are impending free agents with Eovaldi perhaps heading to the open market along with them. Eovaldi’s contract has a conditional $20M player option that he unlocks if he totals 300 innings pitched over 2023 and 2024 or finishes in the top five in Cy Young voting this year.
Even if he unlocks that option, which is possible since he’s at 271 innings since the start of last year, he might turn it down and elect free agency since he’s having a strong season and could look for a bigger guarantee in free agency.
Without those three, the Texas rotation for 2025 projects to include deGrom, Mahle and Gray. The latter two, as mentioned, are coming off lengthy Tommy John rehabs and could have workload concerns next year. Bradford has also missed significant time this year, due to a low back strain, and only has 14 big league starts to his name.
Dunning has often been in the club’s swingman/sixth starter role, moving between the bullpen and rotation as needed. Prospects Jack Leiter and Owen White are on the 40-man roster but both have ongoing control issues.
The Rangers are still the reigning World Series champions for a few more months but the title defense has obviously not been what they had in mind. Perhaps that will lead them to shake up their rotation mix in the offseason, as there’s plenty of uncertainty in next year’s group.
More must-reads:
- Two-time Cy Young winner set to begin rehab assignment
- Watch: Rangers' incredible rally sparks comeback vs. Twins
- The 'World Series MVP' quiz
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Paul Skenes continues home dominance in Pirates' shutout
Paul Skenes tossed six shutout innings and struck out eight to lead the host Pittsburgh Pirates to a 7-0 victory over the Cincinnati Reds on Thursday night. Despite allowing a career-high seven hits (five singles), Skenes (7-8) delivered another dominant performance to bolster his case for the National League Cy Young Award. Skenes also beat the Reds for the fourth time in four starts in his career and first time this season. Jared Triolo and Henry Davis each had two hits and two RBIs to give Skenes more than enough of a cushion to secure a win for the third time in his past four starts. It was Skenes' third consecutive start with eight or more strikeouts. It was also the Pirates' fifth shutout of the season in a Skenes start and their 14th overall shutout. It was the Reds' 10th shutout loss. Skenes lowered his major-league best ERA to 1.94 and continues to be exceptionally good at PNC Park, where he has not allowed an earned run since June 3. Bryan Reynolds, who also had two hits, homered in the first inning off Reds' starter Brady Singer (9-9), who lasted only 3 2/3 innings and gave up four runs on six hits, walked four and struck out two. Reynolds' home run came with two outs. Singer proceeded to issue three consecutive walks to Oneil Cruz, Andrew McCutchen and Jack Suwinski to load the bases, setting up a two-run single by Triolo, which gave the Pirates a 3-0 lead. Cruz and Spencer Horwitz each had an RBI and Davis belted a two-run home run off Reds reliever Brent Suter in the bottom of the seventh. Gavin Lux had three hits, and TJ Friedl and Matt McLain each had two hits to lead Cincinnati offensively. But the Reds went 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position and left eight runners on base. McLain and Elly De La Cruz hit back-to-back singles off Skenes with one out in the first. But Austin Hays grounded into an inning-ending double play to end the threat. -Field Level Media
Steelers Now Have A Surefire Solution To End Cam Heyward's Hold-In
The Pittsburgh Steelers got hit with quite a bit of interesting news on Thursday. It started when NFL insider Adam Schefter reported that veteran defensive lineman Cam Heyward was staging a hold-in, attending training camp but not fully participating as he seeks a new contract. Not long after that, kicker Chris Boswell was also reported to be interested in a new deal, adding another contract situation to the team’s growing list of concerns. As for Heyward, Steelers insider Mark Kaboly quickly suggested a possible solution that could effectively end the hold-in without requiring a full contract extension. Kaboly proposed the idea of adding incentives to Heyward’s existing deal, which would reward performance while avoiding a long-term financial commitment. He believes this compromise would allow the Steelers to show respect for Heyward’s contributions while keeping the team’s salary cap in check. Kaboly explained that the Steelers used a similar approach in 2016 with star wide receiver Antonio Brown. At the time, Brown was also seeking a new deal, and instead of offering an extension, the team added incentives to his contract to keep him satisfied for the season. The move kept Brown on the field and productive, and Kaboly believes this method could work just as well for Heyward, helping resolve the situation without complicating the team’s financial outlook. "Steelers don't restructure contracts until a year out, but Cam Heyward has 2 years remaining on his deal," Kaboly posted on his social media. "Here is the kicker and this is what I would use if I were Heyward: The Steelers worked some funny math with Antonio Brown in 2016 to get him a $4 million raise." Heyward just received a new deal ahead of the 2024 season. Now, Kaboly is pointing out that with two years remaining on his contract, the Steelers typically don’t restructure deals until there’s only one year left. However, Kaboly believes that if the team follows the same approach they used with Brown, it could help resolve Heyward’s situation. "They moved $4 million of AB's 2017 money to 2016, then tore up the contract in 2017 and made him the highest-paid WR in the NFL," Kaboly said. "AB got a $4 million raise, and the Steelers were able to keep their long-standing policy intact." Both sides could technically come out ahead with this approach. The money was going to Heyward anyway, but by advancing a portion of it to this year, he gets earlier financial recognition without requiring a full extension. Then, when the time comes to negotiate a new deal, both parties can do so in good faith, working toward a contract that makes sense for everyone involved. For now, moving some money forward would be a clear sign of appreciation for Heyward’s contributions and an acknowledgment of how the market has shifted for elite defensive linemen. It would also allow the Steelers to maintain their long-standing policy of waiting until a player enters the final year of his contract before negotiating an extension. Ultimately, it’s a short-term financial gesture that builds trust and buys time for a more permanent solution. Steelers And Cam Heyward Both Could Come Out As Winners This approach not only benefits Heyward financially in the short term but also helps preserve the relationship between the player and the organization. It shows the Steelers value his contributions and want to keep him motivated without rushing into long-term decisions prematurely. By handling things this way, the team retains flexibility in managing their salary cap and future roster moves. It also avoids the potential pitfalls of a large extension that might limit options later. For Heyward, it offers a sense of security and respect while keeping open the door for a more comprehensive agreement when the time is right.
Three takeaways from Raiders’ preseason tie against the Seahawks
SEATTLE—It was a mixed bag of tricks for the first Las Vegas Raiders game in about seven months. On Thursday, the Raiders launched a comeback bid against the Seattle Seahawks to finish their first preseason game with a 23-23 tie. Both team starts out their preseason slates with a 0-0-1 record, with each having something to work on heading into next weekend. Here are some major takeaways to come from the Raiders’ side of the equation. Jeanty posts forgettable debut Ashton Jeanty did not get much playing time as expected, but it was not the first impression he wanted to make for the Raiders. On three carries, the sixth overall pick managed to pick up -1 rushing yards. It was hard for him to find room, as the Seahawks defensive front swarmed him at every turn. It was just a preseason game that has little effect on the season, but Jeanty struggling like this could pose a problem for a Raiders team desperate for him to solve their rushing woes. QB2 heating up In the battle to be Geno Smith’s backup, the edge in the first preseason game went firmly to sixth-round rookie Cam Miller over Aidan O’Connell. O’Connell’s day was not without positives, but a couple of second quarter interceptions derailed momentum on some drives. When Miller came in for the fourth quarter, however, he rallied the Raiders from down ten points with a pair of scoring drives, including a beautiful 41-yard touchdown pass to Shedrick Jackson. It would not be surprising to see Miller get more reps throughout the rest of the offseason to see if he can capitalize on the momentum. Clutch defensive play After tying the game, the Raiders had to stop Jalen Milroe and the Seahawks from going down the field. On third down, the Raiders finally managed to get their first sack of the day from Treven Ma’ae. It was the first major play the defense made all game, giving the Raiders serious momentum for their final drive. Unfortunately, they could not finish off the Seahawks in the end, as they blocked a 55-yard field goal attempt from Daniel Carlson to clinch the tie.
'Cost of doing business': Seahawks' culture under Mike Macdonald is palpable
Following each of the Seattle Seahawks' first-half interceptions in their 23-23 tie with the Las Vegas Raiders on Thursday, the entire defense — even those not in uniform — stampeded with the playmaker down the end zone in celebration. Cornerbacks Josh Jobe and Nehemiah Pritchett were the playmakers, but if you weren't watching, you'd have lost the player who actually intercepted the pass in the horde of veteran defenders there to hype up their fellow teammate. That type of excitement, not only for a turnover but for the success of their peers, is a strong indicator of the culture leap the Seahawks are making under Mike Macdonald in 2025. Macdonald was notably unbothered on the sidelines by the pair of ensuing unsportsmanlike conduct penalties that followed the plays. After all, it's the preseason. "I thought the effort was tremendous; I thought our vets, especially the guys that didn’t play, were awesome in support," Macdonald said. "We said those two [unsportsmanlike conduct] penalties were the cost of doing business, and we’ll be better moving forward. It’s just great to see the enthusiasm." What doesn't show in the written version of that quote was the smirk on Macdonald's face included with that statement. In his second season leading the team, Macdonald is well aware of the growing connection among his defense, especially. But it wasn't just on the turnovers. Any big play made by the younger players on the field was met by plenty of helmet slaps, hand taps and smiles on the sidelines. There was a distinct energy level that felt different from 2024 — one that can potentially take this team to the next level. To be that over-the-top excited in the preseason is only scratching the surface ahead of the regular season. Even in a tie, Macdonald is happy with what he saw as a starting point for his new team. Continuity is always important, and his second season is a huge opportunity to capitalize on that. "You never want to tie a football game — it kind of stinks," Macdonald said. "But a lot of great stuff on both sides of the ball. Special teams as well. Guys got our attention, you know, we can go through all the guys, but we’re going to watch the tape and evaluate everybody."
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