The Rangers made a tough call today, placing pitcher Nathan Eovaldi on the 15-day injured list due to a right groin strain. Eovaldi, who’s 34 years old, left yesterday’s game early with tightness in his groin. Although he didn’t seem too worried about it afterward, the team decided to play it safe and send him for an MRI, which revealed the strain.
Losing Eovaldi is a blow to the Rangers, who have already been dealing with several pitching injuries this season. They knew they’d be without Jacob deGrom and Tyler Mahle for a while due to Tommy John surgery, and Max Scherzer was on the injured list recovering from back surgery. Cody Bradford and now Eovaldi have joined the list, leaving the team short-handed, especially during a stretch of ten games in nine days.
Rangers Place Nathan Eovaldi On Injured List https://t.co/Ogvjqd8QgU pic.twitter.com/nymNchQ7tO
— MLB Trade Rumors (@mlbtraderumors) May 3, 2024
Without Eovaldi, the Rangers will rely on Michael Lorenzen, Dane Dunning, Jon Gray, and Andrew Heaney for the next few games. However, they’ll need someone to step up for Eovaldi’s spot in the rotation by Tuesday and another pitcher for the scheduled doubleheader on Wednesday.
They have a few options to consider. José Ureña has been pitching well out of the bullpen and could make a spot start or be part of a bullpen game. Jack Leiter and Owen White are on the roster, but they haven’t had great outings earlier in the season. Scherzer was on the path to recovery but hit a setback with thumb soreness, delaying his return. Johnny Cueto recently signed but hasn’t played yet, and there are also pitchers like Adrian Sampson and Shaun Anderson in Triple-A who could be called up if needed.
It’s a challenging time for the Rangers, but they’ll need to find a way to navigate through the absence of Eovaldi and keep pushing forward in the season.
