Rangers Ace Nathan Eovaldi Talks Recovery from Sports Hernia Surgery

The Texas Rangers have two more years with Nathan Eovaldi and it’s important to keep him healthy.

Texas Rangers pitcher Nathan Eovaldi throws out of the stretch. | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

For a moment, Texas Rangers right-hander Nathan Eovaldi led the American League in ERA by a healthy margin last season.

That was in mid-August after a start against Cleveland in which he had a 1.73 ERA. More important, he had the required number of innings to qualify for the ERA title after missing nearly a month with right elbow inflammation.

It didn’t last long. Shortly after, he went on the 15-day injured list with a right rotator cuff strain. A few weeks later, he was moved to the 60-day injured list as he prepared for offseason sports hernia surgery.

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During an appearance on the SportsDay Rangers Podcast Eovaldi talked about his surgery and the upcoming season, saying that he considers himself able to be a full-go for spring training next month in Surprise, Ariz.

Nathan Eovaldi on Surgery Rehab, Readiness

Nathan Eovaldi is feeling good heading into spring training😎 | #AllForTX

He opened up on his surgery rehab and more on the SportsDay Rangers podcast: https://t.co/InjtkwEHgn pic.twitter.com/5IMqbBURxu

— SportsDay Rangers (@dmn_rangers) January 25, 2026

Eovaldi was already on the injured list with a right rotator cuff strain when he prepared for sports hernia surgery in October. It’s the same surgery that teammate Corey Seager had twice in 2024. The good news was that the 35-year-old right-hander had plenty of time to rehab. The bad news? Try living a normal life the first few weeks after sports hernia surgery?

“The first few weeks it was a grind not being able to move around the house very much and not being able to interact with the kids, things like that,” he said. “I feel like just the everyday basis of things was pretty tough.”

He later said he’s training as he normally would with a few weeks left before spring training and has no restrictions.

“I've been throwing multiple bullpens and my arm feels great, [my] body feels great and I’m ready for the season to get going,” he said.

Texas just added left-hander MacKenzie Gore to the rotation via trade, giving the Rangers four solid pieces for their starting rotation, along with Eovaldi, Jacob deGrom and Jack Leiter. It also made sorting through the options for a fifth starter just a bit easier.

For Texas to get back to the playoffs after a two-year absence, it needs a healthy Eovaldi who pairs with deGrom at the top of the rotation. He was that kind of pitcher last season even with the injuries.

He went 11-3 with a 1.73 in 22 starts, as he struck out 129 and walked 21 with a 0.85 WHIP. He won half of his starts and with a full season he could have won 20 games. He’s playing on the second year of a three-year, $75 million deal that looks better with recent developments on the free-agent market this offseason.