Texas Rangers injury update: Nathan Eovaldi's return, Tyler Mahle's mystery, more

The Texas Rangers are gearing up for what could be the most crucial series of the first half of the MLB season as they come back home to take on the Seattle Mariners on Friday.

Take two of three from the M's, and we can start talking about returning to the playoff race. Lose two of three, or worse, and it might be time to start talking about selling at the deadline.

With the big series coming up, it's natural to wonder how close the Texas Rangers will be to full strength. Luckily, we've got all kinds of updates, including one great one for the series opener.

Wyatt Langford could be headed to the IL before the Texas Rangers' next game

The bad news is that outfielder Wyatt Langford missed his second straight game with "left side tightness." The Rangers said they'll do some testing once they get home today. An IL stint could be in the offing, but for now, he's day-to-day. Don't expect him to be in Friday's game, at the very least.

Cody Bradford is done for the year

There was some hope that reliever Cody Bradford could return at some point this season. However, earlier this week, the team announced he underwent elbow surgery on Wednesday. He's done for the year and will almost certainly miss some of 2026.

Nathan Eovaldi about to make a triumphant return on Friday

Nathan Eovaldi has been out longer than the Texas Rangers originally hoped he would be, but all the worries that things were much worse than the team was letting on were assuaged this week when Bruce Bochy announced the Cy Young candidate would get the start to open the series against the M's. It's a massive update for Eovaldi and the Rangers, who need a win to set the tone for the weekend.

Jake Burger out for the rest of July

Being without Jake Burger for any length of time is not ideal. The first baseman landed on the injured list with a left oblique strain after leaving in the eighth inning of a June 20 win over the Pirates. The Rangers don’t expect he’ll need much more than the 10 days. That means he'll be back in early July, hopefully.

Jon Gray working his way back with a bullpen sessions

More pitching help could be on the way in the form of Jon Gray, who has missed the entire season with a wrist fracture he suffered in Spring Training. Yesterday, he threw a bullpen session. If he wakes up this morning without any issues, he'll throw one or two more. And then, the Rangers will discuss a rehab assignment.

Josh Sborz has more bullpen sessions ahead

Like Gray, Josh Sborz has been out since the spring after undergoing shoulder debridement surgery. He threw a bullpen last week and will throw a couple more before entering a rehab assignment.

Tyler Mahle is still a mystery for the Rangers

It's not clear exactly what's wrong with Mahle. Currently, he's on the IL with "shoulder fatigue." He went on the IL retroactive to June 12, so he could technically be back in time for the Mariners' series on Friday, but that's not happening. For now, no one has any idea when he'll return.

Joc Pederson could find out next steps soon

Joc Pederson has been out more than a month with a fracture in his hand after getting hit by a pitch. The last update came on June 13, saying he needed to wait two more weeks for a scan. That scan could come any day now, and at that point, the Texas Rangers will have a better idea when he'll return.