The Texas Rangers have made aggressive moves to give manager Bruce Bochy the tools to compete, including the trade for Merrill Kelly to bolster the top of their rotation alongside Jacob deGrom and Nathan Eovaldi.
For a time, the trio looked like one of the most formidable in baseball. That run, however, has come to an abrupt end as the club announced that Eovaldi’s season is over following a shoulder injury.
In what turned out to be his final outing of 2025, Eovaldi was brilliant, tossing seven innings of one-run ball with four hits allowed in a 4-3 win over the Cleveland Guardians.
But the performance came at a steep cost—he suffered a rotator cuff strain, which will sideline him for the rest of the year, according to Dallas Morning News reporter Evan Grant.
Eovaldi may not have received an All-Star selection this season, but Texas leaned on him like one. Together with deGrom, he helped stabilize a rotation that was riddled with question marks before Kelly’s arrival.
Still, his efforts weren’t enough to keep the Rangers firmly in the American League playoff race. Without him, their postseason hopes look increasingly dim.
DeGrom himself has been dealing with shoulder concerns, missing a start last week, but it’s Eovaldi whose loss will be felt the most.
For Bochy, whose future in the dugout is uncertain, this injury is yet another setback in what has been an inconsistent and disappointing season.
Beyond the short-term impact, Eovaldi’s health raises questions about Texas’ long-term pitching strategy.
Nathan Eovaldi
While there is optimism he could return before the start of next season, the bigger concern is whether a rotation built around the oft-injured duo of Eovaldi and deGrom can truly be relied upon.
For now, the Rangers and their fans are left to grapple with the reality that Eovaldi’s strong campaign has ended prematurely—casting a shadow over both their fading playoff chances and the team’s outlook for 2026.
