Nathan Eovaldi DVOA, Advanced Stats, & Fantasy Rankings

Texas Rangers starting pitcher Nathan Eovaldi (groin) has been activated from the 15-day injured list ahead of Tuesday's game against the Arizona Diamondbacks. The right-hander is set to take the mound on Tuesday following a three-week absence due to a lingering groin issue. Before going down, Eovaldi was pitching well in the middle of the Rangers rotation. He'll carry a 2.61 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, and 44/19 K/BB ratio through seven starts into Tuesday's game. Eovaldi will be on a pitch count in his return on Tuesday, according to manager Bruce Bochy, so he'll have a much lower ceiling in his first game back.

Texas Rangers starting pitcher Nathan Eovaldi (groin) threw another bullpen session ahead of Friday's game against the Minnesota Twins at Target Field. Although Eovaldi is close to returning to the mound, the club's training staff hasn't decided if he will need a brief minor-league rehab assignment before returning to the major-league action. The hard-throwing 34-year-old is working his way back from a strained right groin, and he appears to have a chance to rejoin Texas' rotation as early as Sunday's series finale against the Twins with the Rangers' pitching staff so shorthanded at the moment. Eovaldi was 2-2 with a sharp 2.61 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, and 44:19 K:BB over seven starts (41 1/3 innings) before getting hurt, and his return should come before the end of May if all continues to go well in his recovery in the coming days.

Texas Rangers starting pitchers Nathan Eovaldi (groin) and Dane Dunning (shoulder) are both scheduled to throw a bullpen session on Sunday, according to manager Bruce Bochy. Assuming all goes well, Dunning may return to the Rangers' starting rotation at some point this week. The 29-year-old is a viable streaming option in the right matchups and owns a 4.10 ERA through seven starts in 2024. Eovaldi's return is a little more unclear as he continues to progress through his recovery. The 34-year-old is worthy of being stashed in the majority of formats as he was off to a strong start prior to the injury.

Texas Rangers right-handers Dane Dunning (shoulder) and Nathan Eovaldi (groin) were scheduled to throw bullpen sessions on Friday. If all goes well with Dunning's bullpen, he could return from the injured list next week to pitch against the Philadelphia Phillies. Dunning was put on the 15-day injured list on May 8 with a strained right rotator cuff, but he also threw a bullpen on Tuesday and is approaching his return to the starting rotation. He's been up and down so far this year and would make for an extremely shaky streaming option without going on a minor-league rehab assignment if he faces the Phillies next week. Eovaldi's bullpen will mark his first time throwing off the mound since suffering a right-groin strain on May 3. The 34-year-old isn't going to come off the IL when eligible on Saturday, but the hard-throwing right-hander deserves to be stashed in all fantasy leagues after his strong start to 2024.

Texas Rangers right-hander Nathan Eovaldi (groin) did some flat-ground throwing on Monday and could throw off a mound this weekend. It's good to see Eovaldi making some progress from his strained right groin, but fantasy baseball managers should not expect him to come off the injured list when he's first eligible on Saturday. Even if Eovaldi takes a bit longer to return from the injured list, he should be stashed in most fantasy baseball leagues. Before hitting the shelf, he was 2-2 with a 2.61 ERA (3.55 FIP) and 1.16 WHIP with 19 walks and 44 strikeouts in 41 1/3 innings over his seven starts. The two-time All-Star will not be rushed back into the Rangers' starting rotation given his lengthy history of injuries in the big leagues.