Texas Rangers Starter Nathan Eovaldi Improves, Set for Next Session
Texas Rangers pitcher Nathan Eovaldi threw a light bullpen session on Wednesday at Citi Field before the Rangers played their final game against the New York Mets.
The verdict? He’s ready for another bullpen on Friday when the Rangers return home to Globe Life Field face the Minnesota Twins.
Eovaldi had a small setback after his previous bullpen in Minneapolis last weekend as he felt tightness in his left side after the session. That forced the Rangers to rule him out for returning to the rotation during the Mets series.
Now, Rangers manager Bruce Bochy says that Eovaldi will take part in a more extensive bullpen session.
“We’ll wait and see how it goes, and we expect it to go fine,” Bochy told reporters in New York. “We expect him to come out of it fine and we’ll make a decision.”
The Rangers have already set their starting rotation for the series with the Twins, starting with Max Scherzer on Friday. After the three-game set with the Twins, the Rangers host a pivotal three-game set with Houston Astros. Texas, Houston and the Seattle Mariners went into Wednesday tied for first in the American League West.
After Wednesday’s finale with the Astros, the Rangers have an off-day before hosting the Oakland Athletics.
Since Eovaldi went on the injured list on July 30, he has thrown at least seven bullpens and a batting practice session in an effort to be as stretched out as possible for a potential return to the rotation.
Eovaldi has made just one start since the All-Star break, throwing six shutout innings on July 18 in a win over Tampa Bay at Globe Life Field. Eovaldi is 11-3 with a 2.69 ERA for the season.
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