Texas Rangers Move Tyler Mahle to Injured List to Promote Kumar Rocker

Mahle’s move is retroactive to Thursday, even though he first complained of the shoulder tightness after his start Tuesday in Minnesota. The latest a team can back-date an IL move is three days prior to the move.  

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Rangers manager Bruce Bochy revealed on Saturday that Mahle was dealing with the tightness and informed team doctors after facing Minnesota on Tuesday. In that game 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.

Texas was hoping to avoid moving Mahle to the IL, since Nathan Eovaldi was already there. He pitched a bullpen on Saturday and will pitch at least one more before the Rangers determine his next steps.

The Rangers’ planned bullpen game for Sunday fell apart after Texas used five relievers in a 5-4, 11-inning win over the White Sox. That included the presumed starter for the bullpen game, Jacob Latz, who pitched the final two innings. Latz was the starter in the Rangers’ bullpen game last Sunday in Washington.

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Given that Texas used a full bullpen game on Friday and several relivers had pitched on back-to-back days, the decision to promote Rocker and IL Mahle was basically a given. The Rangers’ PR social media account announced Rocker as the starter late Saturday night.

Mahle, a 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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