The Texas Rangers were forced to make a late pitching change Monday night after veteran starter was scratched from his scheduled outing against the Arizona Diamondbacks because of left side tightness. The unexpected development added to the Rangers’ growing injury concerns as the club continues navigating a difficult stretch of the season.
Just hours before first pitch in Arlington, Texas announced that right-handed reliever Jakob Junis would take over for Eovaldi in what became a bullpen game for the Rangers. The change came after Eovaldi reportedly experienced discomfort earlier in the day, prompting the team to conduct medical imaging to evaluate the issue further.
Manager Skip Schumaker explained that the organization was still waiting on test results to determine the seriousness of the injury and what the next steps would be for the 36-year-old pitcher. After the Rangers suffered a narrow 1-0 loss to Arizona, Schumaker told reporters that Eovaldi is currently considered day-to-day.
The timing of the setback is especially frustrating for Texas because Eovaldi had recently begun to regain momentum on the mound. The veteran right-hander entered Monday coming off back-to-back strong performances against the New York Yankees. Across those two starts, he surrendered only one run while striking out 15 batters over 15 innings of work.
Last Wednesday at Yankee Stadium, Eovaldi delivered one of his best outings of the year by allowing just one run through eight innings. Prior to that, he tossed seven shutout innings against New York during a home start on April 29, showing signs that he was settling into form after an uneven beginning to the season.
So far this year, Eovaldi owns a 4-4 record with a 4.15 ERA. Despite those numbers, the Rangers know how valuable he can be when healthy. The two-time All-Star played a major role for Texas last season, finishing with an impressive 11-3 record and a career-best 1.73 ERA. However, injuries also affected much of his 2025 campaign.
Eovaldi missed a large portion of June last season because of elbow inflammation and later dealt with a rotator cuff strain that kept him from pitching after Aug. 22. Given that history, the Rangers will likely take a cautious approach while evaluating his latest physical issue.
Texas is also dealing with another injury concern involving second baseman Josh Smith. According to Schumaker, Smith is now battling wrist inflammation while already recovering from a strained right glute. The added soreness could delay his return from the injured list.
Smith had been expected to become eligible for activation later this week before the Rangers begin a series against the Houston Astros. However, the new wrist issue has created uncertainty surrounding that timetable.
Before landing on the injured list, Smith had appeared in 31 games and was batting .217 with six RBIs and no home runs. Defensively, he had performed solidly at second base after taking over the position following the offseason departure of Marcus Semien. Smith recorded a .977 fielding percentage with only two errors in 88 chances.
As injuries continue to pile up, the Rangers now face the challenge of staying competitive while awaiting healthier days ahead.
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