Rangers ace starter Eovaldi undergoes surgery, expected to return by next season start

ESPN reports that Nathan Eovaldi, the Texas Rangers' top starting pitcher, has had sports hernia surgery in Phoenix and is projected to be completely healed before the next season starts.

A "sports hernia" is not a genuine hernia; it is caused by strenuous exercise leading to damage in the muscles, tendons, or ligaments around the lower abdomen and groin, causing discomfort. Eovaldi is expected to resume training about four weeks after surgery. Previously, he missed the latter part of the season due to a rotator cuff strain in late August, which has since been gradually healing according to medical evaluations.

The 35-year-old right-hander has had an excellent season, arguably one of the best in his career. Despite missing some games in June due to elbow inflammation, he pitched 130 innings over 22 appearances, achieving an 11-3 record with 129 strikeouts and reaching his 100th career win milestone. His season ERA of 1.73 and WHIP of 0.854 are both career bests over his 14 years in the majors. The only disappointment was falling short of the 162 innings required to qualify for the Cy Young Award competition.

This two-time All-Star has recorded double-digit wins in each of his three seasons with the Rangers since joining in 2023, compiling a total record of 35-16. He is widely regarded as one of the most dominant starting pitchers in the league today. Last year, he signed a three-year contract worth $75 million with the team. Although he was not selected for the All-Star Game this season, the Rangers chose to award him the $100,000 selection bonus in recognition of his contributions.