Nathan Eovaldi Shows Some Rust in Return to Texas Rangers Rotation

ARLINGTON — Nathan Eovaldi clearly has some rust to shake off.

The 35-year-old right-hander returned to the Texas Rangers starting rotation on Friday and threw three innings in a 7-6, 12-inning loss to the Seattle Mariners at Globe Life Field.

Before the game, the Rangers activated him and sent Dane Dunning back to Triple-A Round Rock.

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Texas had some necessity in activating Eovaldi, even though he didn’t go through a rehab assignment and hadn’t pitched in a game since May 27 when he left a start after two innings with what was later diagnosed as right posterior elbow inflammation.

Rangers starter Tyler Mahle is on the 15-day injured list with shoulder fatigue. Texas has converted Jacob Latz into a starter and threw Jacob deGrom on Wednesday. With Kumar Rocker set to pitch Saturday and Jack Leiter set for Sunday, the Rangers needed Eovaldi to start.

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He threw 45 pitches, the low end of what the Rangers wanted. He gave up five hits, three earned runs and two walks against two strikeouts as he left the game with the Rangers down, 3-1.

It was not the performance he wanted. Eovaldi admitted afterward that his mechanics were not where they should be.

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“I wasn’t really executing very well,” he said. “But I was trying to go out there, get early contact and try to go as deep in the game as I could.”

This was the third time that Eovaldi has gone on the injured list with the Rangers. It is also the third time that he’s returned without a rehab assignment. Even with a one-month layoff, the Rangers seemed settled on the idea of allowing Eovaldi to build up in the Majors, even though they knew there would be bumps.

“He got the pitch count to about where we wanted and it’s only going to get better with him,” Rangers manager Bruce Bochy said.

Friday’s game went more like last year’s first start from the injured list.

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Last season Eovaldi missed 25 days with a right groin strain. He returned in late May, he did not go for a rehab assignment.

He went three innings in his first start back on May 28. He gave up five hits and two runs. He struck out two and walked none. He threw 37 pitches.

In 2023 he missed more than a month with a forearm strain. He returned on Sept. 5 and, with little time remaining in the season, he chose to build up in the Majors.

His first start against Houston on Sept. 5 lasted 1.1 innings. He gave up five hits, four earned runs, two home runs and a walk. He struck out one. He threw just 35 pitches.

Eovaldi expects to start on normal rest, which would put his next start against Baltiomore on Wednesday. In his second start after the IL stint last season he went from 37 to 71 pitches. Texas is hoping that’s the build-up he can give them next week.

Before the injury, Eovaldi was 4-3 with a 1.56 ERA in 12 starts with 73 strikeouts and 10 walks in 69.1 innings.

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