The Texas Rangers plan to open the 2026 season with Nathan Eovaldi on the mound, with Jacob deGrom expected to make his first start during the club’s home opener.
The Rangers intend for Eovaldi to start Opening Day in Philadelphia. DeGrom is then slated to start the team’s home opener against the Cincinnati Reds, as reported by The Dallas Morning News Rangers beat reporter Evan Grant on X, formerly Twitter,
DeGrom has continued building toward the start of the regular season during spring training. On March 10, the two-time Cy Young Award winner threw three scoreless innings against the Chicago Cubs, striking out five batters while allowing two hits and walking one. He needed just 43 pitches to complete the outing.
Despite the strong performance, deGrom said he is still working to regain full comfort with his mechanics after recent injury issues.
“It’s better, but it still feels like too much off a thought right now,” deGrom said after the outing, as reported by Grant. “I just want to continue working on that trust in mechanics. Because right now it’s still quite a bit of, like, ‘Hey, stay back. Do this. Do this. Do this.’”
DeGrom said that his focus is on making his delivery feel more natural as he continues his preparation for the season.
“So I want it to be where it just feels more natural where it’s ‘There’s the glove. Hit it. I’m going to continue working on that in catch play and bullpen sessions so that everything is in line and its not so much thought.”
While deGrom continues his spring buildup, Eovaldi has also shown strong form during camp. In Texas’ recent spring game against the San Diego Padres, the Rangers delivered an impressive offensive performance in a 22-2 win while Eovaldi demonstrated the type of play that has made him a reliable presence in the rotation. Across 5.2 innings, Eovaldi striked out five, recorded six hits, two earned runs and no walks.
The Rangers also showed strong plate discipline in Saturday's game. Texas drew 16 walks, its second consecutive game with double-digit walks and the highest total in a spring game since records have been tracked. The club walked 11 times against Colorado the previous day and has reached double-digit walks three times in 22 spring games. Texas has drawn 121 walks this spring, the most in the league, according to Grant.
Meanwhile, Texas’ B-team lost 4-3 against Cincinnati in Goodyear on Saturday.
