The Texas Rangers have done everything they could to help their manager, Bruce Bochy, compete. Texas traded for Merrill Kelly to add another arm to the top of its starting rotation. For a while, he, Jacob deGrom, and Nathan Eovaldi were a formidable trio. Unfortunately, that time has come to an end. The Rangers ruled Eovaldi out for the season after he suffered a shoulder injury.
Texas' ace put forth a gem in his final outing of the season against the Cleveland Guardians. Eovaldi put up seven innings of one-run ball, giving up just four hits in a 4-3 win. However, his dominant start came at a price. The veteran suffered a rotator cuff strain and is unlikely to see the mound again, according to Dallas Morning News writer Evan Grant.
Eovaldi did not earn an All-Star nod this season, but the Rangers treated him like one. He and deGrom held down what was a questionable starting rotation for Bochy before Kelly arrived. However, his dominance was not enough to help Texas make a serious move in the American League playoff picture. Now, it will take a miracle for the Rangers to make it in.
deGrom missed a start last week thanks to a shoulder issue. However, it is Eovaldi who has to sit and watch the rest of Texas' season from the injured list. Bochy's odds at a playoff run in what might be his final season as a manager are now extremely low. In a season full of inconsistency and disappointing play, the Rangers might finally have suffered a fatal blow.
Eovaldi's injury puts Texas' future into question as well. He might be able to make it back to the lineup before next season begins, but is a rotation built around him and deGrom the answer moving forward? His future is one of many questions facing the Rangers as they enter a crucial offseason. For now, though, Texas' fanbase mourns Eovaldi's season as it comes to an early close.
