Nathan Eovaldi Scratched Ahead of Rangers-Diamondbacks Opener

Texas Rangers right-hander Nathan Eovaldi was scratched from Monday’s start against the Arizona Diamondbacks due to left-side tightness. The club said right-handed reliever Jakob Junis would open the game in an “opener” role, likely pitching one inning before a bulk reliever. The move was made hours before the first pitch at Globe Life Field in Arlington.

Sports Illustrated

Eovaldi entered with a 4-4 record and 4.15 ERA, but his last two outings were dominant: a seven-inning shutout and an eight-inning, one-run effort against the Yankees, yielding a 0.60 ERA, 0.53 WHIP and a 15:1 K-BB ratio over 15 innings. The 36-year-old two-time All-Star posted a career-best 1.73 ERA in 2023 before missing June with elbow inflammation and ending the season after Aug. 22 with a rotator-cuff strain; his injury history also includes a sports-hernia surgery.

ESPN

The Rangers’ rotation, already thin after recent injuries, now faces a depth test. With limited minor-league options, the club is eyeing relievers Jacob Latz and Cal Quantrill as possible fifth starters. Analysts warn the lack of a clear replacement forces a “next-player-up” approach. The change comes as Texas trails the first-place Oakland Athletics by two games in the AL West, raising the series’ stakes.

Sports Illustrated

Team officials said Eovaldi will undergo imaging to determine if the tightness is an oblique strain, which could trigger an IL placement. The Rangers called the move precautionary and noted Eovaldi is day-to-day. They also highlighted Junis’s 1.65 ERA in 15 appearances and 16.1 innings pitched this season.

CBS Sports

Sources disagree on the injury’s severity and Eovaldi’s return timeline. Some suggest a possible IL stint; others say the skip may be temporary. No official timeline has been released, and the team has not disclosed the exact nature of the tightness.

CBS Sports

• “Nathan Eovaldi has been scratched from tonight’s start with left side tightness.” — Kennedi Landry, MLB.com reporter

Sports Illustrated

• “Nathan Eovaldi has been scratched from tonight’s start with left side tightness.” — Shawn McFarland, Twitter commentator

Sports Illustrated

• “Him not being able to continue that momentum tonight versus the Diamondbacks is disappointing.” — Seth Dowdle, writer

Sports Illustrated

• “Rangers manager Skip Schumaker said Eovaldi felt the tightness earlier Monday and then had medical imaging.” — Skip Schumaker, Texas Rangers manager

ESPN

Eovaldi will have imaging later this week; the Rangers will then decide on an IL move or a return. Junis is slated to open the series finale, and the club may turn to Latz or Quantrill for later starts. The decision will shape Texas’s pitching strategy as the AL West race tightens.

Sports Illustrated