Texas Rangers right-hander Nathan Eovaldi has undergone surgery for a sports hernia and should be ready for the start of the 2026 season, a source confirmed to ESPN on Thursday.
Eovaldi, who went 11-3 with a career-best 1.73 ERA in 22 starts for the Rangers, had the procedure in Phoenix and is expected to be ready in four weeks, the source said. He was shut down in late August with a rotator cuff strain, but scans last week showed that injury was healing, according to a report.
He fell short of the innings needed to qualify as the MLB leader, with Pittsburgh ace Paul Skenes (1.97) leading the majors and Detroit's Tarik Skubal (2.21) atop the American League. Pitchers need to average one inning per team game to qualify.
Eovaldi, 35, was one of baseball's best pitchers all season, and part of the Rangers' MLB-leading 3.47 ERA as a staff. He was left off the American League All-Star team after missing most of June with elbow inflammation, but Texas still gave him a $100,000 All-Star bonus that is in his contract.
This was Eovaldi's third consecutive season with at least 11 wins since joining the Rangers. He signed a $75 million, three-year contract in December that runs through 2027.
Eovaldi has a 102-84 career record and 3.84 ERA over 14 big league seasons with six teams and has won World Series championships with Boston in 2018 and Texas in 2023. He made his MLB debut with the Dodgers (2011-12) and later pitched for the Marlins (2012-14), the Yankees (2015-16), Rays (2018) and Red Sox (2018-22).
Eovaldi's surgery was first reported by alldlls.com.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
