Nathan Eovaldi’s return to the Rangers is starting to come into focus, and Texas is clearly willing to take whatever help it can get at this point in the season.
Eovaldi threw a simulated game Tuesday in Seattle, according to Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News. The work amounted to 30 pitches, roughly two innings, and served as the next best step after live batting practice or a rehab outing. It also kept him around the club while he continues working his way back from right elbow inflammation that has cost him a month.
He is not ready to be activated yet, but the runway is there. If all goes smoothly, he could be back on the roster within a week.
Tuesday’s sim game came three days after Eovaldi threw 40 pitches in a bullpen session at Globe Life Field before the Rangers played the Tampa Bay Rays. That spacing matters, and Grant reported that the next checkpoint is likely another simulated game Friday in Arizona, when Texas opens a three-game series against the Diamondbacks at Chase Field.
If he gets through that without any issues, Sunday could be the day he’s available again.
That timing would line up neatly with a tricky stretch for Texas, which is in the middle of six games in six days and has already adjusted its rotation to get Cal Quantrill twice on the road trip. Quantrill, who was the Rangers’ August player of the month, has been their most effective starter since late July.
Eovaldi’s possible role wouldn’t be traditional. If he’s ready Sunday, Texas could use him for one or two innings behind Quantrill in a piggyback setup. The club has Monday off before beginning a nine-game homestand next Tuesday, so there’s a natural break in the schedule.
Back-to-back appearances probably aren’t in the plan. More likely, the Rangers would use Eovaldi every second or third day in shorter bursts, depending on how his body responds.
It’s a familiar sort of buildup for him at the big-league level. In September 2023, he ramped up as a starter without the benefit of a minor league assignment because there simply wasn’t enough time. This time, there isn’t even room for that kind of reset.
So the mission is simpler now: get him back as a reliever, use him carefully, and hope he can provide a lift as Texas keeps chasing the Houston Astros and the American League West.
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