Mahle hits the shelf, as expected, ahead of Sunday’s series finale against the White Sox. No word yet on exactly how much time the 30-year-old righty figures to miss. His absence opens the door for Kumar Rocker to return to the big leagues and take his rotation spot.

Mahle will not only miss Sunday’s battle against Chicago, but is likely to be placed on the 15-day injured list. Kumar Rocker will take Mahle’s place in the rotation, and Mahle will likely not be back until around the All-Star break at the earliest.

Kumar Rocker has met up with the Rangers in Arlington and would be an option to start for the Rangers on Sunday in the event that Mahle is unable to give it a go. The team could also decide to roll with Kumar on Sunday anyways and give Mahle a couple of extra days to allow the soreness to subside. Stay tuned.

The 30-year-old right-hander punched out three batters on the evening while allowing one base on balls. This game was actually a scoreless pitcher’s duel heading into the fourth inning before the offenses perked up. Mahle surrendered two runs in the fourth, one in the fifth and then served up a solo homer to Matt Wallner in the sixth inning. Fortunately for him, the Rangers piled on 10 runs in those three frames to deliver a victory. Mahle generated 11 swings and misses on 91 pitches on the night, posting a CSW of 30 percent. He’ll carry a 2.34 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and a 56/27 K/BB ratio (77 innings) into a premium matchup against the White Sox on Sunday.