Texas Rangers Taking Cautious Approach with All-Star Pitcher’s Injury Recovery

Nathan Eovaldi was on the Texas Rangers’ latest road trip — until he wasn’t.

The Rangers sent the 35-year-old right-hander back to Arlington on Tuesday so he could undergo more tests on his injured arm, manager Bruce Bochy told reporters in Minnesota. Texas was preparing to face Minnesota to start a three-game series.

The Dallas Morning News (subscription required) was among the outlets to report the update. Eovaldi is on the injured list with right posterior elbow inflammation. Texas moved him to the 15-day IL on June 1 after he left a game on May 29 with tightness in his right triceps.

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Bochy said the Rangers sent Eovaldi back home out of an abundance of caution.

“We just want to cover ourselves,” Bochy said. “He’s making progress, maybe not quite as fast as he would like or is hoping, but he is making progress.”

On Saturday in Washington, Bochy said that he anticipated that the two-time World Series champion would be ready to be activated on Friday when Texas returns to host the Chicago White Sox. He did say that Eovaldi had not thrown since he went on the injured list.

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On Tuesday, he noted that he no longer expected Eovaldi to be activated on Friday, which means that his spot in the rotation is now in flux. Bochy did say that Eovaldi, for now, is expected to throw a bullpen this weekend.

Bochy said he’s not certain how the Rangers will handle Eovaldi’s next turn in the rotation. Bullpen usage could play a role.

Texas went with a bullpen game on Sunday against the Nationals, in part to take Eovaldi’s spot in the rotation and in part to give right-handed starter Tyler Mahle extra rest for Tuesday’s start. Jacob Latz started that game and threw 60 pitchers to set up a Rangers victory.

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For the season, Eovaldi is 4-3 with a 1.56 ERA in 12 starts with 73 strikeouts and 10 walks in 69.1 innings.

He re-signed with the Rangers on a three-year, $75 million deal in the offseason and he’s been worth every penny as Texas boasts one of the best-performing rotations in baseball.

He’s been on the 15-day IL once each of the past two seasons. Eovaldi missed a month with a right forearm strain in 2023 and missed nearly a month with a right groin strain last year.

Before the move to the injured list, Eovaldi was probably the Rangers’ top starting pitcher in May — and the competition was close.

Eovaldi made five starts in May. In 26.2 innings, he finished with a 0.68 ERA as he allowed just two earned runs. He only gave up 16 hits and struck out 27 hitters against seven walks for a 9.1 K/9. He finished with a 2-1 record and had three quality starts.

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