ANAHEIM, Calif. — Nathan Eovaldi is back with the Texas Rangers after going on the 15-day injured list with right posterior elbow inflammation.
The move was announced Monday and made retroactive to Aug. 9. Rangers manager Skip Schumaker said Tuesday there was “nothing to report” on Eovaldi beyond his return to the club, according to Shawn McFarland of The Dallas Morning News.
Eovaldi leads Texas with 10 wins this season. The right-hander is in the second year of a three-year, $75 million contract that runs through 2027. He has made two All-Star teams and won two World Series, including with Texas in 2023.
Kyle Higashioka Begins Throwing Program
The Rangers also received some movement with their injured catchers.
Kyle Higashioka has started a throwing program, Schumaker said. Higashioka has been on the 10-day injured list since July 21 with a right flexor strain and is batting .218 with 7 home runs and 36 hits this season. He is in the final year of a two-year, $13.5 million contract.
Danny Jansen also came through his latest rehab work without an issue, according to Schumaker. Jansen originally went on the 10-day injured list with a right forearm strain before being transferred to the 60-day injured list. He is batting .171 with 3 home runs and 21 hits in his first season with Texas.
Jansen signed a two-year, $16.75 million contract with a mutual option for 2028. Texas opened the season with Jansen and Higashioka as its two catchers on the active roster, but both landed on the injured list on the same day in July. Austin Wynns and Elias DÃaz have handled the position since.
Jack Leiter Set For Rehab Appearance
Jack Leiter is scheduled to pitch in a rehab game Wednesday as he works his way back from right ankle surgery.
Leiter underwent arthroscopic surgery and went on the injured list June 21, retroactive to June 19, before later being transferred to the 60-day injured list. He threw a bullpen session during the All-Star break and continued throwing on flat ground while the Rangers were in Atlanta. The former No. 2 overall pick in the 2021 draft has 83 strikeouts this season and 262 in his career.
Left-hander Robert Garcia is also moving forward in his recovery. Schumaker said Garcia will begin throwing off a mound soon.
Garcia has not pitched since April 16. Texas placed him on the 15-day injured list with left shoulder inflammation on April 23, retroactive to April 20, and moved him to the 60-day injured list on May 31. He went 0-1 with a 3.38 ERA in 9 appearances before the injury.
The Rangers acquired Garcia from the Washington Nationals in December 2024 for Nathaniel Lowe. Garcia appeared in a career-high 72 games for Washington in 2024 and struck out 75 batters in 59 2/3 innings. He opened this season as part of a closer committee with Chris Martin, who is also on the injured list with a right shoulder impingement.
Josh Jung Still Without Timetable
There was no new update Tuesday on Josh Jung.
Jung has been on the 10-day injured list since late July with a left calf strain. He left a 10-0 win over the Chicago White Sox on July 21 with calf tightness and went on the injured list four days later, retroactive to July 22. Schumaker previously said Jung’s recovery had not trended in the right direction, according to Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News.
Jung is batting .294 with 104 hits and was leading Texas in batting average when he went on the injured list. He is playing on a one-year, $2.9 million contract and will be arbitration eligible in 2027.
Right-handers Jakob Junis, Jose Corniell, and Carter Baumler remain on the injured list. Junis is on the 15-day IL with a left adductor strain, while Corniell and Baumler are on the 60-day IL.
Texas enters Wednesday at 60-60, a half-game behind the Houston Astros in the American League West. The Rangers play the third game of their four-game series against the Los Angeles Angels at 9:10 p.m. CT at Angel Stadium. ESPN will carry the game.
