Texes Rangers Starter Nathan Eovaldi Throws 'Encouraging' Bullpen

Nathan Eovaldi took another step toward returning to the mound for the Texas Rangers.

Texas Rangers pitcher Nathan Eovaldi threw the equivalent of two innings in his latest bullpen session on Tuesday at Globe Life Field.

The Dallas Morning News reported that the session was “encouraging.”

It’s the latest step in Eovaldi’s progress from a right forearm strain that landed him on the injured list last month.

Eovaldi threw two bullpens while the Rangers were on the road trip in Oakland and San Francisco last week. The one in Oakland, on Wednesday, was considered a light bullpen. Eovaldi went harder in his session on Saturday in San Francisco.

The Rangers said after Saturday’s session the schedule was for Eovaldi to throw a bullpen on Tuesday and, if there were no issues, a live batting practice session would come later in the week.

The step after batting practice still isn’t clear. Eovaldi could go on a rehab assignment to build up before activation, or the Rangers could activate him and build him up through shorter starts.

The Rangers took a similar approach with Jacob deGrom after he missed a good portion of Spring Training.

The Rangers have not put a timetable on when Eovaldi will return, with general manager Chris Young telling 105.3 The Fan that the team will go “as fast as we can but as slow as we need to.”

Eovaldi’s forearm strain that put him on the injured list on July 30. Before that the Rangers skipped his start during a road series in Houston in an effort to give him more rest.

Eovaldi has made just one start since the All-Star break, throwing six shutout innings on July 18 in a win over Tampa Bay at Globe Life Field. Eovaldi is 11-3 with a 2.69 ERA for the season.

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You can find Matthew Postins on Twitter @PostinsPostcard. 

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