Rangers to be without Gray, Mahle for rest of 2024

ARLINGTON -- You can never have too much starting pitching. No seriously, you really can never have too much starting pitching.

At one point in the season, it felt like the Rangers maybe had too much starting pitching, as a number of veterans worked their way back from injury. They even traded one pitcher, Michael Lorenzen, to the Royals at the Trade Deadline.

Before Tuesday's 7-4 walk-off win over the Yankees, however, manager Bruce Bochy announced that both Jon Gray (right foot neuroma) and Tyler Mahle (shoulder stiffness) will likely be shut down for the remainder of the season.

The news ironically came on a day in which Andrew Heaney -- the only Rangers starter to not spend any time on the injured list this season -- got a no decision after tossing five-plus scoreless innings the thrilling victory at Globe Life Field.

Through Tuesday's start, Heaney has received two or fewer runs of support in seven straight and 20 of his 26 starts this season, as his team-low 3.55 run support average as a starter is the third-lowest mark among MLB qualifiers and the lowest by any Rangers starting pitcher (min. 20 GS) since Cole Hamels in 2018 (3.15).

"It seems like every year you have a guy that you just have trouble getting run support for, and he's been that guy,” Bochy said of Heaney. “It’s almost every start. But that’s not indicative of how he's been throwing the ball because he's given us a chance so consistently to win a game. We just have a tough time getting the runs there for him.”

As for Gray's unfortunate news, that announcement came as a shock. He's had two injured list stints this season, but both were groin-related.

According to the Mayo Clinic, a foot neuroma is “a condition that affects the ball of your foot, that makes it feel as if you are standing on a pebble in your shoe. It involves the thickening of the tissue around one of the nerves leading to your toes, causing a sharp pain in the ball of your foot.”

Gray has struggled through much of this season, posting a 4.47 ERA in 102 2/3 innings. He was visibly disappointed after his last start against the A’s, when he allowed four runs in 4 2/3 innings of the Rangers’ 9-2 loss.

"It's at a point where we've got to take care of this,” Bochy said. “Yes, [he’s done for the season.] Surgery is an option, that’s what we’re talking about now. We're also exploring other options. He had it a little bit last year, and it's coming back this year. We’re just at a point where it's affecting him. Now you're putting the pitcher at risk, it changes his delivery. We're just looking after him, trying to take care of him."

Mahle recently returned to the big leagues after a long Tommy John rehab over the last 18 months. In his first three starts this season, he had allowed seven runs in 12 2/3 innings, striking out 10 and walking four. His velocity was slightly down in his last start against the Twins on Aug. 18, but the Rangers weren’t initially concerned after he landed on the injured list with right shoulder stiffness.

"I have no idea,” Mahle said when asked about his timeline. “I think that’s something to ask [the staff] about. I’m just playing catch and seeing how it feels.”

During a brief chat with the media, Mahle reiterated multiple times that he didn’t know what to expect from the last month of the season, but he was following the lead of the training staff. Bochy had a clearer outlook on the situation.

"Right now, we’re pretty much shutting him down,” Bochy said. “He’s going to play catch and throw and all that. But I don’t think we’ll see another start. I’m not ruling it out completely, but why take that risk and rush him back?"

With only four members of the rotation on the active roster at the moment, it’s hard not to expect Jacob deGrom to return sooner than the Rangers are saying publicly.

As of now, the plan is for deGrom to pitch at Double-A Frisco on Saturday. deGrom told the media that the Rangers' staff was discussing him starting with the big league club this coming weekend, as opposed to making a final rehab start with the RoughRiders, but Bochy didn’t sound fully on board with the idea when asked.

"That's always an option, but I don’t think that’s what we’re going to do,” Bochy said on Monday. “If something happened, and we were in a position where we thought we needed to do it and it was fine with Jacob, yeah, we would do it. But for now the plan is still for him to start down there [in Frisco]."

This feels like that something that could push deGrom’s return sooner, but Bochy emphasized on Tuesday that deGrom will go to Frisco on Saturday and return to the big league rotation shortly thereafter.