Veteran hurler Nathan Eovaldi finds himself on the MLB injured list during a crucial point in the Rangers’ season. Texas is 61-64 on the campaign, is tied for the final American League Wild Card spot, and is 2 games behind the Houston Astros for first place in the AL West.
Below, we will take a glance at when Eovaldi is expected to return to the Rangers’ rotation.
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Nathan Eovaldi injury update: When will Rangers pitcher be back?
Eovaldi experienced discomfort in his elbow while playing catch on Sunday, August 9. This came two days after his last start, in which he allowed just 1 earned run and 4 hits in 5.1 innings of work against the Orioles. Despite the results, Eovaldi’s velocity was down.
The two-time All-Star and two-time World Series champion was diagnosed with right posterior elbow inflammation.
“[Eovaldi] came out of the start feeling OK,” Rangers manager Skip Schumaker told MLB.com. “Obviously the velo was down, but there were no red flags as far as he was complaining about the elbow or anything else.
“Knowing Evo and how hard he works, what he puts into this thing, I know he’ll be trying to focus on getting [back]. The day you’re allowed to come off [the injured list], that’s when he’s going to try to come off. But that’s obviously to be determined.”
Eovaldi is eligible to return to the Rangers rotation on Tuesday, August 25.
The Dallas Morning News’ Shawn McFarland reported on August 15 that Eovaldi has made “minor strides” in his recovery, and that the “range of motion in his elbow has improved and some of the swelling has gone down.” McFarland added that it’s unclear when Eovaldi be able to play catch again.
Assuming there are no setbacks, we should expect Eovaldi to be back sometime next week.
Here is a look at the Rangers’ schedule around the time that the 36-year-old righty is expected to return.
- Tuesday, August 25: Rangers at White Sox
- Wednesday, August 26: Rangers at White Sox
- Friday, August 28: Rangers at Brewers
- Saturday, August 29: Rangers at Brewers
- Sunday, August 30: Rangers at Brewers
- Monday, August 31: Athletics at Rangers
- Tuesday, September 1: Athletics at Rangers
- Wednesday, September 2: Athletics at Rangers
- Thursday, September 3: Rays at Rangers
Nathan Eovaldi odds
Eovaldi began the season with +4500 odds at Fanatics Sportsbook to win the American League Cy Young award.
The veteran righty no longer appears on the board, as his numbers just aren’t up to snuff compared to the Cam Schlitters (-170) and Dylan Ceases (+140) of the world.
Eovaldi is 10-9 on the season with a 4.21 ERA, 137 Ks, and a 1.21 WHIP.
Texas Rangers odds
The Rangers, who won it all in 2023, began this season with +3000 World Series odds.
Schumaker’s club has underwhelmed this season as they currently own a sub-.500 record, but they are still very much alive in a watered-down American League. Texas is currently +4250 at Fanatics to win this year’s World Series.
The AL West profiles as the worst division in MLB as the Astros (63-62) are in first place despite being just one game over .500. The Rangers are +345 to win the division and are +205 to make the playoffs.
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