Rangers Face Enormous Task to Replace Injured Ace Nathan Eovaldi

The Texas Rangers could tap into one, or more, of these three options to take Nathan Eovaldi’s rotation spot.

Texas Rangers starting pitcher Nathan Eovaldi (17) throws to the plate during the first inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Globe Life Field. | Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images

The Texas Rangers are likely without starting pitcher Nathan Eovaldi for the rest of the regular season after a rotator cuff strain.

Rangers president of baseball operations Chris Young relayed the news to beat reporters on Tuesday. Eovaldi had just qualified for the ERA title after his start on Friday and was 11-3 with a 1.73 ERA in 22 starts. He had 129 strikeouts and 21 walks in 130 innings. He allowed batters to hit .194 against him and he had a 0.85 WHIP.

Texas will miss him. He’ll miss out on a potential American League Cy Young award. Worse for the Rangers is that he was supposed to start Wednesday’s finale against the Los Angeles Angels. Now the Rangers must find a replacement. Texas had not announced a probable starter as of Tuesday afternoon. Here are three potential options. Some could be for the short-term and some could be for the rest of the season. Texas could even use all three.

Kumar Rocker

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He would be the easiest replacement for Eovaldi. He’s a Triple-A Round Rock — technically. That’s the problem. When the Rangers skipped Jacob deGrom’s start last week in Kansas City they started Caleb Boushley instead. The Dallas Morning News’ Evan Grant (subscription required) reported that Rocker wasn’t considered because he’s been temporarily removed from the team so he can work on mechanics.

So, while he’s on the roster, he hasn’t pitched since Aug. 7, when he gave up five runs in 5.2 innings, along with two home runs, against Albuquerque. He is 1-0 with a 3.24 ERA in four starts at Round Rock. He is 4-5 with a 5.45 ERA in 17 starts with the Rangers. He may also be the least likely pitcher to start on Wednesday. But, if the mechanics come around, he’s a potential September option.

Jacob Latz

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The left-handed reliever is probably the most likely option for Wednesday. He last pitched on Aug. 20 against Kansas City and threw 3.1 innings of one-hit baseball, giving up no runs and a walk against four strikeouts. He’s been a spot start for the Rangers three times this season. His numbers are solid — 14.1 innings, with nine hits allowed, five earned runs, seven walks and 14 strikeouts.

Manager Bruce Bochy said before Latz’s first start in June in Washington that he believed the 29-year-old had starter’s stuff and that he could be a rotation piece one day. Latz was a starter in the Rangers’ system before he was converted to relief. He’s stretched out and, so long as the Rangers don’t use him Tuesday night, he’s the likely selection for the finale — and perhaps every fifth turn.

Michael Plassmeyer

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The Rangers don’t have considerable options at Triple-A outside of Rocker. But Plassmeyer, a 28-year-old left-hander, is probably the best one. He is 6-4 with a 4.86 ERA in 25 games (14 starts) this season, with 85 strikeouts and 32 walks in 90.2 innings. His only Major League start was in 2023 with the Phillies, as he gave up eight hits, 10 runs (nine earned) and struck out four in 3.2 innings. He’s the probable fall-back option if the Rangers must use Latz out of the bullpen on Tuesday. Plassmeyer is not on the 40-man roster, so Texas would have to make a 40-man move to make room.