SEATTLE — Nathan Eovaldi threw a live batting practice session of about 30 pitches Tuesday and came out of it feeling good, Texas Rangers manager Skip Schumaker said in a pregame interview on Rangers Sports Network.
Another live session, rather than a minor league rehab assignment, is the likely next step for the right-hander.
“I’m not telling you that. I’m going to make a surprise announcement for the other team,” Schumaker said. “No, I think he’s going to probably do another live and then go from there. I think rehab assignment and that type of thing, it’s getting so late in the season. And a veteran pitcher like Evo, I think he can probably feel pretty good after a couple lives, and we trust him. If he’s going to tell us that he feels good and he’s ready to face major league hitters in a high leverage, playoff type of atmosphere, then we trust him. He’s done it before.”
“So, whether that’s in the bullpen, opener, all that stuff is being discussed,” Schumaker continued. “But him being active is going to be important for us in our success.”
Texas placed Eovaldi on the 15-day injured list Aug. 10, retroactive to Aug. 9, with right posterior elbow inflammation. He threw about 40 pitches in the bullpen Sept. 5 in two sets of 20, and the club waited on how the elbow responded the following day before putting him in front of hitters.
Nathan Eovaldi’s Rehab Window Is Closing At Round Rock
Round Rock closes its regular season Sept. 20, which limits how much of a rehab window remains for any Rangers player still on the injured list. Texas has 18 games left.
Schumaker said Sunday, according to Shawn McFarland of The Dallas Morning News, that a multiple-inning relief role is the realistic first assignment when Eovaldi is activated, with length to follow if the calendar allows.
Eovaldi started on opening day for the third straight season in 2026. Jack Leiter remains on the 60-day injured list with a right ankle posterior impingement, and his rehab assignment was shut down after biceps soreness following an Aug. 26 relief outing at Round Rock.
Skip Schumaker On Mapping The Texas Rangers’ Final 18 Games
Texas is mapping all 18 remaining games at once, and the plan resets each day on usage, health, and who is coming back.
“We look at everything. So we’re constantly trying to figure out exactly how to get to the finish line, winning and healthy,” Schumaker explained. “But it’s all predicated on today. Things can change the next day and the day after that based on usage and based on how guys feel, if they’re healthy, what we have coming. Evo pitched today in a live BP through 30 pitches, felt really good. So there’s a lot of moving parts in this thing.”
“So you always have a plan until you get punched in the mouth, and then things change,” Schumaker added. “Hopefully we don’t get punched in the mouth, and we can continue with the plan that we have set moving forward.”
Cal Quantrill starts Tuesday night in Seattle. Cody Bradford follows Wednesday afternoon, and Jacob deGrom takes the ball Thursday in the series finale. Texas flipped Quantrill and Bradford in the order after Sunday’s game, which allows Quantrill to start twice on the six-game trip through Seattle and Arizona.
Texas opened the trip at 71-73, second in the American League West and two games behind the Houston Astros. The Rangers are also two games out of the third and final American League wild card spot. They are 31-41 on the road this season and 6-17 against AL West opponents away from Globe Life Field.
Robert Garcia came off the 60-day injured list Monday after one rehab appearance, and Josh Jung began a rehab assignment with Triple-A Round Rock on Tuesday. Rosters expanded from 26 players to 28 on Sept. 1, with the pitcher limit rising from 13 to 14.
Texas and Seattle opened the three-game series Tuesday night at T-Mobile Park. Both remaining games begin at 3:10 p.m. CT on Rangers Sports Network. Texas leads the season series 7-3, and the Rangers open a three-game series at the Arizona Diamondbacks on Friday.
