Former Red Sox All-Star Returns From Injury After Dominant Stretch

An American League ace is coming back as the playoff race heats up.

Former Boston Red Sox star Nathan Eovaldi was enjoying a Cy Young Award-caliber start to his third season with the Texas Rangers. The 35-year-old posted a 1.56 ERA through a dozen superb turns, including two against Boston.

However, Texas started June by placing Eovaldi on the injured list with triceps soreness. Although the team initially anticipated a minimum 15-day stay, the two-time All-Star hasn’t pitched since May 27.

That will change Friday night. Eovaldi is scheduled to return for an AL West showdown against Logan Gilbert and the Seattle Mariners.

Injuries are nothing new for Eovaldi, who pitched 461 2/3 innings in five seasons with the Red Sox. Yet the right-hander made his time count, leading Boston to a 2018 World Series title with a 1.61 postseason ERA. He finally stayed healthy to finish fourth in the 2021 AL Cy Young Award voting after registering a 3.75 ERA and 2.79 FIP in 32 starts.

Following the 2022 season, Eovaldi joined Texas on a two-year, $34 million contract. He promptly justified the investment by throwing six shutout innings in a World Series-clinching victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Eovaldi boasts a 3.33 ERA in 66 regular-season starts for the Rangers, who reside a half game above the Red Sox in a crowded AL playoff picture. They trail the Mariners by two games for the league’s last wild-card spot entering their three-game series at Globe Life Field.

Eovaldi re-joins a resurgent Jacob deGrom atop a Rangers rotation that lost Tyler Mahle to a shoulder injury earlier this month. His performance could determine whether Texas poses another challenger to Boston’s playoff path.