ARLINGTON, Texas — Nathan Eovaldi will still be pitching out of the Texas Rangers bullpen when the club opens its homestand Tuesday, president of baseball operations Chris Young said Monday. If Eovaldi goes unused for a day or two, Young said, he could move into a longer role by the end of the week.
Young spoke on the club’s off day during his weekly segment on 105.3 The Fan’s G-Bag Nation.
Eovaldi came off the injured list Saturday at Chase Field and threw 45 pitches in relief, his first work in a major league game since Aug. 7. He entered in the sixth inning with a 6-1 lead over the Arizona Diamondbacks and pitched 2 2/3 innings, allowing 4 hits and 1 earned run, and struck out 2 in a 6-2 win. Elbow inflammation had cost him the previous 31 games, and he skipped a minor league rehab assignment.
“I’ll start with Evo. It was great having him back,” Young said. “We felt like activating him, even though we thought maybe he could use one more rehab outing or a live BP, we just felt like the psychological impact that he would have on our group, getting one of our mainstays back, and even if he’s not starting the game, having him come in and help us win a game, and Evo did exactly that.”
“It was great seeing him back out there,” Young continued. “He’s such a competitor, such a gamer. There’s no situation that he’s afraid of, and he just absolutely thrives under pressure. And so seeing him back out there was huge. I think it was a great boost for our group.”
Before the injury, Eovaldi went 10-9 with a 4.21 ERA and 137 strikeouts over 22 starts and 132 2/3 innings. Saturday was his first regular-season relief appearance since 2019 with Boston, when he was also returning from injury.
Chris Young Weighs Nathan Eovaldi As Starter Or Bridge To Back Of Bullpen
How many pitches Eovaldi can be built up to at this stage is the open question in any return to the rotation. Rangers manager Skip Schumaker said before the Saturday game that Eovaldi could be used as an opener or in leverage.
“We’re still debating the best role for him,” Young added. “I think that what he did the other night and sort of bridging the gap to the back end of our bullpen was huge, and we could continue having him in that role. There’s also, I think, an argument to have him start, and I’m not sure how many pitches we can get him built up to at this point. But certainly anything we get from Evo is better than the alternative.”
“We’re going to continue to look at this and see what the team need is,” Young detailed. “But I think as of tomorrow night, you’ll still see him in the bullpen. Our hope is that he’ll be recovered and available. And maybe if he doesn’t get used for the next day or two, you may see him in a longer role by the end of the week. So to be determined, some of it will just depend on how he bounces back.”
Texas started Kumar Rocker on Saturday and Cal Quantrill on Sunday. Quantrill pitched through back tightness in the 7-6 series win.
Robert Garcia Returns To Texas Rangers Bullpen
Robert Garcia is also pitching off an injured list stint. On Saturday, he relieved Rocker with two on and nobody out in the fifth, recorded the next three outs, and picked up his first win of the season. Two days earlier in Seattle, he struck out 2 in a scoreless eighth inning.
“Robert Garcia, obviously he looks great,” Young noted. “What he did the last couple of days in Arizona really helped us win games. It’s so nice having him back out there. I think we all see and remember what a weapon he can be out of the bullpen, and it was huge to have him back this weekend. My hope is he keeps pitching the way he did this past weekend, because if so, he’s going to help us win more games.”
Jacob Latz, the club’s All-Star closer, stranded the tying run at second base to finish Sunday’s win.
At 74-76, Texas is one game behind the Houston Astros in the American League West and two games behind the Cleveland Guardians for the third American League wild card with 12 games left.
The Rangers open a three-game series against the Boston Red Sox on Tuesday at Globe Life Field. First pitch is 7:05 p.m. CT on Rangers Sports Network.
