Surprising Unit Keeping Texas Rangers Afloat Solidifies Greatness In May

The Texas Rangers have been an interesting case study for roster construction in 2025. The team entered the year with one of the strongest starting lineups in MLB, on paper, but a plethora of injuries and underperformance have kept that group from reaching their full potential.

Despite that, the Rangers have stayed in the thick of the chase for the American League West division crown. While the offense has faltered through the first two months of the season, another unit has stepped up in a big way.

Everyone expects Jacob deGrom to be a great pitcher when he is healthy, but there are not many who have expected the performances from the rest of the starting rotation this year. After a second strong month of outings from that unit, the "small sample size" caveat can be thrown out the window.

Texas Rangers' Starting Rotation a Legit Strength After Second Strong Month

"As 2025 has progressed," writes Thomas Harrigan of MLB.com, "the Rangers’ rotation has kept the team’s season from unraveling amid an absolutely anemic offensive performance. The biggest surprise has been Mahle, who has posted a 1.80 ERA over 11 starts. But that’s not even the best mark on this staff. That belongs to Eovaldi at 1.56. deGrom has also looked sharp through 11 starts, and even Patrick Corbin and Jack Leiter have had their moments."

Tyler Mahle is not supposed to be as good as he has been this year. He does not overpower guys, he does not rack up strikeouts like all of the big-name starting pitchers, but he just gets outs.

The veteran entered the year with a 4.32 ERA across 648 1/3 innings in 126 games. This year, the right-hander enters Wednesday with a 1.80 ERA across 60 innings in 11 starts. Along with deGrom and Nathan Eovaldi, Mahle has been a big part of the rotation's success in 2025.

The unit holds a 2.92 ERA entering play Wednesday, the second-best mark in MLB. They have the seventh-most innings pitched this year (301 2/3), and their 1.08 WHIP is the best in the sport.

One strong month can be considered a fluke. Two strong months? That is something else entirely, and if Texas can keep up that success, it will go a long way toward keeping them in the playoff chase.