Rangers Pitcher Nathan Eovaldi Left off Team USA
Texas Rangers pitcher Nathan Eovaldi committed to pitching for Team USA in the World Baseball Classic next month. So why was he left off the roster released Thursday?
That isn’t clear. But when the United States roster was revealed, he was not on it. That’s despite a commitment to the team made public in December, along with Lance Lynn, a former Rangers pitcher. Lynn was not listed on the roster either.
Three Rangers will participate in the World Baseball Classic. Martín Pérez will pitch for Venezuela, reliever José Leclerc will pitch for the Dominican Republic and prospect Mitch Bratt will pitch for Canada.
Eovaldi, 33, went 6-3 with a 3.87 ERA in 20 starts for Boston in 2022. He was undefeated on the road (4-0) and his 2.64 road ERA was ninth-best in the American League.
He has a career record of 67-68 with a 4.16 ERA with the Los Angeles Dodgers (2011-12), Miami Marlins (2012-14), New York Yankees (2015-16), Tampa Bay Rays (2018) and Boston Red Sox (2018-22). He won a World Series with the Red Sox in 2018.
He was the fourth starting pitcher the Rangers acquired in the offseason. The others were Mets ace Jacob deGrom, followed by former Dodgers starter Andrew Heaney. Before that, the Rangers traded starter/reliever Kolby Allard to Atlanta for starter Jake Odorizzi, who is in the option year of his contract.
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