Rangers Injury Update: Nathan Eovaldi, Max Scherzer, Dane Dunning

Going into the season, Rangers fans worried that the team's rotation would not have enough depth to make it through, especially with Max Scherzer and Jacob deGrom expected to miss a large chunk of the regular season.

A little over a month into the season, fans' off-season worries seem to be justified as the Rangers are struggling mightily to compose a five-man rotation due to the number of injuries the team has suffered these past few weeks.

The team now has three pitchers who started the season in the Rangers rotation on the IL. While Jacob deGrom, Max Scherzer, and Tyler Mahle remain sidelined for the foreseeable future, the Rangers front office is entering a crisis while searching for arms. They are currently looking to either call up or trade for arms as the rotation becomes increasingly dismantled by the day.

One of the newest Rangers pitchers to hit the IL is the ace of the rotation Nathan Eovaldi. Eovaldi is currently in his second year with the Rangers and is having another solid season currently holding a .261 ERA through seven starts. 

Unfortunately, Eovaldi went down with a groin injury earlier this week and was placed on the 15 day IL. Despite Eovaldi's recent injury, the Rangers are optimistic that he can return to the mound quickly and hope he will be able to rejoin the team by May 18th.

If the Rangers are able to get Eovaldi back on the mound in a little over a week, this would be a huge sigh of relief to the Rangers, who are looking for any help possible to sustain this currently crumbling pitching staff.

Rangers Hope to Get Nathan Eovaldi Back by May 18

Dane Dunning is another starting pitcher for the Rangers who has recently been placed on the IL. Dunning, who was off to somewhat of a slow start with the Rangers, carrying a 4.10 ERA, was placed on the IL earlier in the week due to nagging shoulder issues which was later diagnosed to be a rotator cuff strain. 

Similar to Eovaldi, the Rangers are optimistic that Dunning will be able to return to the mound quickly and was placed on the 15-day IL. The Rangers are just taking extra precautions, and Bochy is hopeful that Dunning will be able to return to the mound in just a couple of weeks. 

The veteran of the Rangers rotation, Max Scherzer, is also looking to return to the team, but it seems that nagging injuries are standing in his way. While working his way back on the mound, he has been dealing with a lingering thumb issue that forced him to miss his latest rehab start and could potentially push back his return to Arlington. 

The 39-year-old is still hoping to return by the end of this month, but due to the lingering injuries he's dealing with, it could be more realistic to expect Scherzer to return around June. Either way, hopefully Scherzer can continue to progress quickly enough to be back on the mound for the Rangers sooner rather than later, as the Rangers need all the arms they can get at the moment.

Overall, the Rangers are stuck in a tough spot due to their pitching situation. One silver lining is that the Rangers have called up prospect Jack Leiter, who will have another crack at the majors after a less-than-desirable debut back in April.

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