Rangers Scratch Nathan Eovaldi Ahead of Diamondbacks Series Opener

The Texas Rangers’ pitching plans for their series opener against the Arizona Diamondbacks have been thrown into a tizzy.

Nathan Eovaldi, who was scheduled to start tonight’s matchup, was scratched with what the team is describing as left side tightness. Jakob Junis will start the game on the mound instead in an opener role. He’ll most likely only go one inning before handing it off to a bulk reliever. Through 15 appearances so far this season, Junis has a 1.65 ERA with seven strikeouts and five walks. This will be his first start since 2024.

Nathan Eovaldi has been scratched from tonight’s start with left side tightness. Jakob Junis will open.
— Shawn McFarland (@McFarland_Shawn) May 11, 2026

The severity of Eovaldi’s injury is not known at this time. Regardless, his absence on the mound could be a devastating blow to a Rangers rotation that has overall performed well to start 2026. To make matters worse, there aren’t a whole lot of depth options in the minor leagues that the Rangers could call up to make starts in Eovaldi’s stead should he have to go on the injured list.

Rangers Lose Key Rotation Piece

Texas Rangers pitcher Nathan Eovaldi. | Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images

Eovaldi’s 2026 hadn’t started out the way everybody expected. He got trounced in his first couple of outings but had settled down as of late. The home run has been a major issue — he’s allowed 10 so far compared to just 10 all of last season — but he had still been his steady self for the majority of his starts.

It was his last two performances that inspired confidence that Eovaldi, who’s been with the Rangers since 2023, was back to his normal self. On April 29 against the New York Yankees, Eovaldi threw seven innings of shutout ball in a 3-0 Rangers win in the Bronx.

Just a week later, he repeated the feat, also against the Yankees, going eight innings and giving up just one run while striking out eight.

Him not being able to continue that momentum tonight versus the Diamondbacks is disappointing. Now the Rangers just have to wait and see how severe the ailment is and make a plan for the future.

Rangers Rotation Depth Will Be Tested

Texas Rangers pitcher Jacob Latz. | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

As mentioned earlier, there aren’t a ton of options in the minors who can come up and replace Eovaldi’s production. That means the team will have to dive into the bullpen to find a fifth starter.

Jacob Latz is the obvious choice to enter the rotation. He made one start earlier in the season and has the ability to go deeper into games than some of the other relievers. Still, it’s been a bit since he was stretched out, meaning that it’s not a certainty that he’d be able to provide the same quality of outings as Eovaldi would.

Cal Quantrill is another option. He’s been a starter for most of his career, though he hasn’t necessarily been the most reliable pitcher over the last several seasons. Beggars can’t be choosers, though, and that’s exactly what the Rangers could be should Eovaldi have to go on the shelf for any amount of time.

In the end, there aren’t any great choices. Somebody’s just going to have to step up and take that next-player-up mentality.

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