"We Need Him": Texas Rangers bank on Tyler Mahle’s healthy return to strengthen rotation

The Texas Rangers are filled with hope this season. With Tyler Mahle finally getting ready to return from Tommy John surgery, they are praying that the right-hander can return to the 2021 form he had and take the pitching staff to a different level.

Last offseason, Texas swooped in, signing Mahle to a two-year, $22 million deal. The contract was front-loaded with a modest $5.5 million in year one, but the big bucks-a whopping $16.5 million-come this season. Why the big payout? Because it really is because the Rangers understood that Mahle's 2024 season would mostly be a rehab year. Major surgery on that arm has now been done, and the plan was always to be patient.
It's in the final countdown. Mahle is once again set to join the rotation with an elated spirit, but caution prevails; `Rangers President of Baseball Operations Chris Young believes so, even though he knows a healthy Mahle is imperative to a team looking to reach the postseason`. "We're counting on Tyler," Young told MLB.com. "We need him. A healthy Tyler Mahle is a really good Major League player, so we need him. We're banking on him, and we're hopeful that we're going to see the good version of him."

To put it plainly, what is the definition of "good version" where Tyler Mahle is concerned? If we talk about the prime Mahle, it is difficult to escape 2021 when he was the ace of the Cincinnati Reds' rotation. The righty started 33 games, leading the league in starts, with a quality 3.75 ERA and a career-high 210 strikeouts. He was 13-6 that year, and recorded personal bests with regards to wins, strikeouts, and innings pitched. That is the Mahle the Rangers are hoping to recuperate; the dominating presence in the rotation.
Mahle himself thinks cautiously, but honestly, his focus is just being healthy and establishing a consistency in his rhythm. Asked about his return to form, Mahle said, "Now we’re here, I’ve thrown enough innings to where it’s not going to hold me back this year. We’re in a great spot.”

But less pretty has been the road to recovery. Mahle spent the first half of 2024 akin to a fellow Ranger ace, Jacob deGrom, working through the return from arm issues. His downtime in 2023 came from a posterior impingement and strain on the flexor pronator of his right arm while with the Minnesota Twins. However, following his rehabilitation, the future is bright.
So what lies ahead for the Rangers and Mahle? Proving that the patient gamble was worth it. And if Mahle can avoid the injury bug and return to performing at a high level, then Texas might have exactly the lightning bolt needed to transform their rotation into a fearsome group this year.