ARLINGTON, Texas — The Rangers will skip All-Star right-hander Nathan Eovaldi for one turn through the rotation as part of a plan to give all their starters some rest.
The decision revealed Sunday by manager Bruce Bochy means Eovaldi won’t pitch when the AL West-leading Rangers visit in-state rival and defending World Series champion Houston starting Monday.
Jon Gray will pitch Monday’s series opener, and left-hander Andrew Heaney will get the finale Wednesday. Texas hasn’t decided who will take Eovaldi’s turn Tuesday.
While acknowledging that Eovaldi’s velocity was down while throwing six scoreless innings in his most recent start against Tampa Bay, Bochy said that wasn’t the only factor in the timing.
Eovaldi didn’t get the full All-Star break after making the team for the second time. He pitched a scoreless inning in the AL’s 3-2 loss to the NL.
“This was talked about before the season,” Bochy said. “At some point, we’d like to give these guys a little extra time.”
With ace Jacob deGrom sidelined by Tommy John surgery until at least next year, Eovaldi has been the best starter as the surprising Rangers have been in first place all but one day this season coming off six consecutive losing seasons.
Eovaldi (11-3) entered Sunday tied for the American League lead in wins with an AL-leading 2.69 ERA. The 33-year-old had a career-best scoreless streak of 29⅔ innings this season.