Rangers Losing Time to Determine Injured Nathan Eovaldi’s Return

The Texas Rangers could really use Nathan Eovaldi back in the rotation. But the runway to get him back is growing short.

Texas Rangers pitcher Nathan Eovaldi. Credit: Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Texas Rangers might have to think of the return of injured right-hander Nathan Eovaldi in the same way they thought of it at this time three years ago.

In September of 2023 Eovaldi was recovering from a right forearm strain and had been on the injured list for more than a month. With minor league affiliates beginning to shut down and the Rangers in the heat of a playoff race, he and the Rangers made the decision to allow him to continue his build up in the Major League rotation.

It worked out. Eovaldi was built up properly by the postseason and was invaluable as the Rangers claimed their first World Series title. It's possible that he is trending in the same direction as he tries to return from a right posterior elbow inflammation.

Rangers manager Skip Schumaker talked with reporters about Eovaldi’s recovery on Monday and decision time is coming.

Charting Nathan Eovaldi’s Return

Per Shawn McFarland of The Dallas Morning News (subscription required), Eovalid is continuing his recovery but has yet to throw off a mound. On Monday he threw 50 pitches off flat ground. Schumacher said Eovaldi threw all his pitches and did not appear limited. That’s good news. It would be better if he was throwing off a mound, since he was placed on the 15-day injured list on Aug. 10. But off flat ground is better than not throwing.

What comes next? Schumaker admits he’s not sure.

“He's [at] 50 pitches, flatground, which is encouraging for sure,” Schumaker said. “But what's that look like in the next week or so? I think that's determining what [his recovery] actually looks like.”

Starting pitchers follow a typical progression when coming back from an arm injury. Eovaldi needs to throw at least one bullpen and one live batting practice before Texas could even entertain the thought of sending him to an affiliate for a rehab assignment. The Rangers would prefer more bullpens.

He and the team are running into the same issue they ran into three years ago. Minor league affiliates are shutting down for the year. There's only a couple of weeks left in the season at both Double-A Frisco and Triple-A Round Rock. If he’s on a normal progression, he might need two more weeks before he could go on a rehab assignment. That might take a rehab game off the table.

He could ramp up in the Majors as he did three years ago. Texas would need more bullpen coverage, and they have a long relief option in the bullpen in left-hander Jordan Montgomery. The Rangers could piggyback him on Eovaldi’s starts. Or, the Rangers could even reverse it and have Eovaldi piggyback off a starter, an order that is unlikely.

It's all to say that the timeline around Eovaldi is too murky to hazard a guess. But it's clear from Schumaker’s words that Texas needs to see progress soon or Eovaldi may not be able to help them down the stretch.