Another Injury? Texas Rangers Starter Leaves With Groin Tightness After 5-Plus Shutout Innings

Texas Rangers right-hander Nathan Eovaldi left Thursday's start with tightness in his right groin in the fifth inning. He was leading the Washington Nationals 3-0.

May 2, 2024; Arlington, Texas, USA; Texas Rangers starting pitcher Nathan Eovaldi (17) pitches / Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

ARLINGTON —

Texas Ranger starter Nathan Eovaldi was working on a shutout when he abruptly left the game with right groin tightness Thursday afternoon at Globe Life Field.

Eovaldi left leading the Washington Nationals 3-0 with one out and one on in the sixth. He had just thrown his first pitch to Luis Garcia Jr. after walking Nic Senzel with one out in the inning.

Manager Bruce Bochy, pitching coach Mike Maddux and trainer Matt Lucero all met with Eovaldi on the mound before he exited. Jacob Latz retired the next two batters to end the top half of the sixth.

Eovaldi, the Rangers' Opening Day starter, was at 92 pitches, so his day was close to ending, regardless of the injury. He held the Nationals to two hits and two walks and struck out eight in 5.1 innings. The club announced that Eovaldi will be further evaluated after the game.

The Rangers scored three runs in the second inning on RBI singles from Wyatt Langford and Evan Carter and an RBI double from Ezequiel Duran.

It's the third consecutive solid start from the Rangers rotation, which saw Jon Gray go eight innings on Tuesday and Andrew Heaney go seven innings on Wednesday in a losing cause.

The Rangers have dealt with a slew of injuries during the first month of the season, not to mention three starting pitchers who are recovering from surgeries, including Max Scherzer, Tyler Mahle, and Jacob deGrom. Scherzer, who had back surgery in December, has seen his return delayed by several days because of thumb soreness. He's expected to return to the rotation in the next week or two. Mahle and deGrom aren't expected to be available until July and August.

Left-hander Cody Bradford has been on the injured list with a rib fracture since April 14 and isn't expected to be available until the end of May.

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