The Texas Rangers activated Nathan Eovaldi from the 15-day injured list to start their World Series rematch against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Tuesday night, rather than have the right-hander pitch in a rehab game.
Eovaldi, an All-Star last season in his Rangers debut, had been out with a right groin strain since departing after 5 1/3 scoreless innings against Washington on May 2. He was 2-2 with a 2.61 ERA in his first seven starts.
Texas also activated rookie outfielder Wyatt Langford from the 10-day IL after he hadn’t played since May 4 because of a right hamstring strain. He was in the lineup as the designated hitter, while the team placed struggling fellow rookie outfielder Evan Carter on the injured list with a lumbar sprain.
Right-handed reliever Yerry Rodríguez was optioned to Triple-A Round Rock.
Manager Bruce Bochy had indicated over the weekend that Eovaldi would pitch somewhere else before rejoining the Rangers rotation.
“Because he was ready, we just said, just go ahead and use him here instead of going on rehab,” Bochy said when asked what changed, and adding that he had talked to Eovaldi about it Sunday.
The Rangers had listed TBA for their Tuesday starter, though it had been expected that Dane Dunning would start. The right-hander returned from a 15-day IL stint last Wednesday after being sidelined with a right rotator cuff strain.
Bochy said Dunning (3-3, 4.43) would pitch Wednesday in the finale of the two-game set against the Diamondbacks.
“We wanted to give Dane an extra day. He got some pretty good stuff there in Minnesota, he was pretty sick,” Bochy said. “So, yeah, there were a couple of variables involved.”
Langford, the fourth overall pick in last summer’s amateur draft, hit .224 with one homer and 11 RBIs while starting 31 of the team’s first 34 games this season. His only home was an inside-the-park dash.
Carter, who made his debut at the end of last season and was an everyday starter in the playoffs, is hitting .188 with five homers and 15 RBIs in 45 games this season. He was hitless with seven strikeouts in his last 20 at-bats over a nine-game span.
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