Potential Nathan Eovaldi injury scare puts Rangers rotation in flux

After a thrilling 9-7 victory to stop a losing skid, the Texas Rangers are once again looking to build momentum in their chase to get back into the American League playoff picture. Set to take on the San Diego Padres at 3:05 pm at Globe Life Stadium, the Rangers were planning to send Nathan Eovaldi to the mound to duel Walker Buehler. However, just about four hours before game time, Eovaldi was scratched from the start with left knee soreness.

Taking the ball in his place will be MacKenzie Gore, whose up-and-down performance has left something to be desired after the winter's blockbuster deal to acquire him. Gore was scheduled to start tomorrow, but now who gets the ball on Father's Day is TBD.

The Rangers can ill-afford to lose Nathan Eovaldi for an extended period of time

Throwing the rotation influx with the late scratch, Eovaldi's sore knee really couldn't come at a worse time. As part of the concessions made to accommodate the FIFA World Cup schedule at nearby AT&T Stadium, the Rangers are currently entering the second game of a 15-game stretch without an off day.

That makes it less than ideal to have the rotation jumbled, and depending on how the Rangers plan to attack tomorrow's game, it could end up overly taxing the bullpen at the start of this grueling stretch.

More importantly, we don't know much about Eovaldi's apparent injury. The 36-year-old right-hander skipped a start earlier in the year, when left side tightness in May cost him a game, but fortunately, nothing more.

With a 4.23 ERA on the season, Eovaldi hasn't been quite the dominant co-ace alongside Jacob deGrom that Texas hoped to see, but "Big Game Nate" has been huge for the club when the chips have been down, going 3-0 with a 1.29 ERA in three games when the Rangers had been facing sweeps.

With the frustrations from Jack Leiter and Kumar Rocker, along with Gore's inconsistent performance, having Eovaldi healthy and at the peak of his powers is imperative if Texas wants to contend.

Eovaldi last completed more than 29 starts in a single season back in 2021, when he logged 32 games in his final year with the Boston Red Sox. His spectacular 2025 campaign was limited to just 21 starts due to a right rotator cuff strain that prematurely ended his season.

Based on what we know, it's too early to speculate as to whether or not this is simply a precaution or something that could end up requiring an IL stint. So, while we're hoping for the best, we'll keep our eyes peeled and provide an update as soon as we learn more.

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