Nathan Eovaldi expected to avoid IL, adding suspense to Texas Rangers’ pitching situation

ARLINGTON — Nathan Eovaldi didn’t start the expected pitching showdown with Tarik Skubal, but he did throw some pitches on Sunday, which may give the Rangers all the relief they needed.

Eovaldi, scratched from the start against Detroit due to back soreness, did throw off flat ground Sunday afternoon and could be back in the Rangers rotation as early as mid-week.

Manager Bruce Bochy said Sunday that the Rangers don’t have current plans to place him on the IL. The situation, however, remains fluid.

“He’s improving,” Bochy said Sunday. “He improved from batting practice time yesterday until the time he left the stadium. He was feeling better. But we don’t have a day when he is scheduled to pitch yet.”

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Bochy did acknowledge the possibility that Eovaldi could pitch Wednesday against the Parts Unknown Athletics in the conclusion of that three-game series. But he did not commit. That is tentatively Patrick Corbin’s day to pitch.

The Eovaldi situation adds suspense to the Rangers’ pitching situation, which was already intriguing enough without an additional injury.

Jon Gray made what was expected to be his final rehab outing on Saturday, pitching 3⅓ innings on 61 pitches against Las Vegas for Triple-A Round Rock. He allowed a run on three hits, walked two and struck out five. Gray’s fastball averaged 94.9 mph, right in line with his average fastball velocity in 2024. Bochy indicated the expectation that Gray will be activated sometime during the coming week. The Rangers have said they are preparing Gray to return as a starter, but could use him in the bullpen if a need arises.

Barring an IL stint for a pitcher, there doesn’t seem to be a spot in the rotation at the moment. The other possibility that could make some sense for the Rangers is to use Gray primarily as a reliever, but to drop him in as a sixth starter during stretches when the club doesn’t have an off day on its weekly schedule. That could serve as a way to help manage the innings of Jacob deGrom and the rookie duo of Jack Leiter and Kumar Rocker.

“We’re not ruling anything out,” Bochy said. “We’ve got some options with [Gray], from starting to the bullpen to plugging him to give guys a break. These are all things [pitching coach Mike Maddux] and I will discuss. I wish I could elaborate, but the truth is we’ve haven’t talked about it yet.”

Twitter: @Evan_P_Grant

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