Rangers' Nathan Eovaldi: Eyeing minimum-length IL stay
Rotowire
Rangers manager Bruce Bochy said Sunday that he expects Eovaldi (forearm) to return from the 15-day injured list Aug. 11 when first eligible, Kennedi Landry of MLB.com reports.
Eovaldi was placed on the IL with a right forearm strain Sunday after he noticed a dip velocity in his most recent start July 18 and still didn't feel 100 percent following a bullpen session in Houston earlier in the week. Though forearm strains often entail absences much longer than 15 days, Bochy and the Rangers brass apparently have optimism that Eovaldi will be able to buck the trend. Bochy noted that he's "pretty confident" with Eovaldi's prognosis moving forward, though the right-hander is still scheduled to meet with Rangers team physician Keith Meister -- who is also a renowned orthopedic surgeon who specializes in elbow and shoulder injuries -- when the team returns to Arlington on Monday.
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Rangers' Nathan Eovaldi: Start pushed due to elbow soreness
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Eovaldi won't start Sunday against the Padres due to some soreness in his elbow, Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reports.
The veteran right-hander had his start skipped early in the week for rest purposes after he had a dip in his velocity during his previous start July 18, but he's apparently dealing with some soreness in his elbow. Manager Bruce Bochy said an MRI came back clean and a trip to the injured list isn't currently being considered, though that could change depending how Eovaldi feels over the next couple days. At the very least, he doesn't seem likely to take the mound for the Rangers until at least next weekend's three-game set versus the Marlins.
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Rangers' Nathan Eovaldi: Goes on IL with forearm strain
Rotowire
The Rangers placed Eovaldi on the 15-day injured list Sunday with a right forearm strain.
Though Eovaldi hadn't pitched since July 18 and was ruled out for his first turn through the rotation earlier this past week, the Rangers opted to keep him on the 26-man active roster with the hope that he would be ready to go the next time a fifth starter was needed. However, after Eovaldi failed to show enough improvement following an extended rest period and was ruled out from making a start Sunday in San Diego, the Rangers decided that they couldn't carry the right-hander on the active roster any longer. Cody Bradford will make another spot start in his stead Sunday, but the newly acquired Max Scherzer will end up taking over Eovaldi's spot in the rotation next week. Eovaldi's placement on the IL is retroactive to Thursday, so he'll be first eligible for activation Aug. 11.
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Rangers' Nathan Eovaldi: Lined up for Sunday
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Eovaldi (rest) is likely to return to the Rangers' rotation Sunday at San Diego, Nathan Han of MLB.com reports.
Eovaldi was skipped on his last turn earlier this week in Houston for rest purposes, but there are no physical concerns behind the slight velocity dip and decreased strikeout rate. The 33-year-old right-hander stands 11-3 with a brilliant 2.69 ERA, 1.01 WHIP and 111:34 K:BB through 123.2 innings (19 starts) overall this season with Texas.
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Rangers' Nathan Eovaldi: Skipping start this week
Rotowire
Manager Bruce Bochy said Sunday that Eovaldi will have his turn in the rotation skipped during the upcoming three-game series in Houston, which begins Monday, Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reports.
Eovaldi has delivered scoreless outings in two of his past three starts but has just 10 total strikeouts across 18.1 innings as he's experienced a dip in his velocity, so the Rangers have decided to give him some extra rest. As a result, Jon Gray (leg) will be moved up a day to start Monday. Eovaldi could re-enter the rotation during the three-game set at San Diego next weekend.
Eovaldi (11-3) earned the win Tuesday versus the Rays after he allowed two hits and three walks over six shutout innings. He struck out two.
Eovaldi set a season low with just a pair of strikeouts and walked at least three batters for the third straight start, but he still produced his seventh scoreless outing of the year. The right-hander's command hasn't been great for the past month-plus with 20 walks issued across his past 43.1 frames, but he still has a 3.53 ERA and 1.15 WHIP during that stretch. He's tied for the major-league lead in wins with four other pitchers.
Rangers' Nathan Eovaldi: Struggles against Red Sox
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Eovaldi allowed four runs on five hits and four walks while striking out three batters over 5.1 innings in a no-decision against Boston on Thursday.
Eovaldi was in trouble from the outset, allowing the first two batters he faced to reach base in a one-run first inning. He didn't record a 1-2-3 frame until the fifth, and he was lifted with one out in the sixth to finish with his shortest start since May 29. Eovaldi had a 2.24 ERA at the end of a scoreless six-inning appearance against Seattle on June 4, but that mark has risen to 2.83 over the course of his past six starts. Not coincidentally, the right-hander's control has faltered during that stretch -- he's issued 17 free passes over his past 37.1 innings after walking just 14 batters across his initial 80.1 frames of the campaign.
Rangers' Nathan Eovaldi: Seven scoreless innings in win
Rotowire
Eovaldi (10-3) earned the win Saturday, allowing two hits and four walks over seven scoreless innings against Houston. He struck out five.
Eovaldi tossed at least seven scoreless innings for the fourth time this year and picked up his 10th win. Aside from some issues with his velocity, the veteran's first season in Texas has been phenomenal thus far, as he sports career-best marks in ERA (2.64) and WHIP (0.99) across 17 starts. With Jacob deGrom (elbow) set to miss the remainder of the season, Eovaldi is now the ace of the Rangers' rotation and will look to continue putting up dominating performances. His next start is projected for a three-game set against his former team, the Red Sox.
Rangers' Nathan Eovaldi: Five strikeouts in no-decision
Rotowire
Eovaldi did not factor into the decision Sunday, allowing two runs on four hits and two walks over 5.2 innings against the Yankees. He struck out five.
Coming into Sunday, Eovaldi had given up 11 runs over his last three starts, including five home runs, but the right-hander kept the ball in the park Sunday and allowed two or fewer runs for just the second time in June. His velocity was also back up, averaging 94.4 mph on his four-seamer. However, he failed to complete the sixth inning for the first time since May 29. Despite his recent struggles, Eovaldi has still been sharp overall and sports a 2.18 ERA, 1.00 WHIP and 101:23 K:BB across 16 appearances (105.1 innings). His next start is lined up for a three-game weekend series versus Houston.
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Rangers' Nathan Eovaldi: Explains velocity dip
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Eovaldi said Saturday that a "mechanical issue" was the root cause in a decrease in velocity during his last start, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News reports.
Eovaldi struggled over six innings against the White Sox last Tuesday, and his dip in fastball velocity prompted speculation. The right-hander averaged 93.8 mph, his lowest of the season and second lowest since the beginning of 2022. "I'm aware that my velocity was down [Tuesday]," Eovaldi said Saturday. "But I'm like, OK, I've got four different pitches. If I learned anything from last year, it's that even if velocity wasn't there, I can still go out and compete without my mid-90s fastball. I felt fine." Rangers manager Bruce Bochy doesn't appear to be worried, as he moved up Eovaldi's next start from Monday (against Detroit) to Sunday's series finale against the Yankees. When the Rangers have an off day, as they did Thursday, Bochy typically gives a starter an extra day of rest but opted to have Eovaldi pitch on normal rest.
