PHOENIX — Rangers manager Skip Schumaker will use Nathan Eovaldi out of the bullpen, and he could use him as soon as Saturday night. The Texas Rangers activated the right-hander off the 15-day injured list hours before playing the Arizona Diamondbacks, and Schumaker told Rangers Sports Network the job will look different every day.
“I think you’ll see him out of the bullpen,” Schumaker said. “Other than that, I think you’ll have to watch it and see exactly how we use him because I think it’s going to be different daily. It could be either opener, it could be leverage out of the pen, it could be multiple innings. It’s just kind of we’ll see how the game goes and then how we’re going to use him is going to be dictated on how he feels after pitching one or two innings, his availability, and then kind of watch and see how he does.”
Schumaker has not announced a starter for Sunday.
“He’s on the card, so he’s available today,” Schumaker explained. “And then we’ll worry about tomorrow, but he’ll be available today.”
Nathan Eovaldi Comes Back From Elbow Inflammation
Back on Aug. 7, in his last outing, Eovaldi beat the Baltimore Orioles 2-1 at home, working 5.1 innings and giving up four hits and one earned run with two walks and two strikeouts. Three days later he landed on the injured list with right posterior elbow inflammation, retroactive to Aug. 9.
Across 22 starts he is 10-9 with a 4.21 ERA, 137 strikeouts, and a 1.206 WHIP over 132.2 innings. He has served up 24 home runs after allowing 10 in 130.0 innings last season, when he went 11-3 with a 1.73 ERA across 22 starts.
Opening Day belonged to Eovaldi for the third straight season in 2026. He signed a three-year, $75 million deal that runs through 2027. In the 2023 postseason he went 5-0 with a 2.95 ERA over six starts on the way to a title.
Texas skipped the minor league rehab assignment and built him back on live batting practice instead, the last session about 30 pitches on Sept. 8.
Eovaldi told Shawn McFarland of The Dallas Morning News he sees relief as where he helps most.
“I don’t know how they want to manage it, but I possibly could squeeze in two starts at maybe four or five innings as opposed to pitching effectively and helping bridge to get to where we need to be,” Eovaldi said.
The Bullpen He Joins
To open the spot, Texas sent left-hander Adam Macko to Triple-A Round Rock, and catcher Logan O’Hoppe went with him so Josh Jung could come off the injured list too. Both clubs went to 28 players on Sept. 1, when the pitcher limit moved from 13 to 14.
Acquired from the Toronto Blue Jays on Aug. 3 for infielder Josh Smith and minor league right-hander Josh Stephan, Macko pitched six times for Texas after an Aug. 28 recall. He worked 6.1 innings and gave up 10 hits and four earned runs with two walks and seven strikeouts. This is his last option year.
Closing all year, Jacob Latz has 28 saves and a 1.85 ERA over 51 appearances and made the All-Star team. Jakob Junis carries a 3.47 ERA through 47 games, and in Thursday’s seventh inning at Seattle he gave up four runs without getting anybody out. Tyler Alexander has a 3.20 ERA over 66 outings, the most on the staff.
Behind starter Kumar Rocker on Saturday, Eovaldi waits in whatever role the game calls for. Rocker is 5-11 with a 4.61 ERA through 24 starts, and first pitch against Brandon Pfaadt
