The Texas Rangers, not long ago, wore the championship crown. This season, the fans were hoping for, if not anything, at least a run to be neck and neck with the rest. Instead, what all Rangers fans got were tales of injuries, bad timing, and an ace whose arm just gave up at the most crucial of times. The name—Nathan Eovaldi.

The 35-year-old was actually in the midst of a career year, but has now been shut down for the rest of the year due to a right rotator cuff strain. The news is confirmed and directly comes from the Rangers’ president of baseball operations, Chris Young. Now, he did explain that surgery is not needed for him, but the team doesn’t want to take further chances.

So for now, if the Rangers somehow make their way back into October contention, there is little to no chance that Eovaldi could be back. But if you are being real, Texas, sitting at 67-67 and 4.5 games out of the wild card and without their most reliable player, might be too far from making it to contention. And if you ask former MLB president of the Marlins, David Samson, he puts the blame on Texas for the entire debacle.

David Samson, in his podcast, mentioned, “If you’re the Texas Rangers, there is no going. That’s it. Sorry folks, Nathan’s closed. No hot dog for you…He’s got what I like to refer to as old arm syndrome….. Remember Nathan Eovaldi? Multiple Tommy John’s.” He added, “How do you make your roster decisions when you’ve got $25 million going to Evaldi and you don’t know what you’re going to get from him?… A three-year deal for a 35-year-old pitcher. It’s patently absurd. And now the Rangers are paying the price.” Ouch! But really, this setback will cost the team.

It seemed Eovaldi was not having a good year—he was having a dominant one. Through 130 innings, he went 11-3 with a 1.73 ERA, 129 strikeouts, and only 21 walks. At one point, in fact, he looked like he might crash the AL Cy Young race against Skubal or Crochet. But no, awards are the least of the concerns in the picture. Also, while Samson’s bluntness stings most times, there is truth in this. Eovaldi has battled through two Tommy John surgeries and multiple appearances on the injured list. And that takes a toll on the body.

His fastball for sure has been his weapon, but velocity is what time takes away. And as Samson pointed out, at 36 next season, with $25 million still owed, the Rangers have shot themself in the foot. For now, the team needs to rely on Jacob deGrom, Merrill Kelly, and Jack Leiter. But it’s crucial to note that none of them have that steady dominance needed.

Texas Rangers’ plan B heroes step up!

The Texas Rangers roster was already fitted with Evan Carter and Marcus Semien done for the season. And now, Nathan Eovaldi’s news is just another gut punch. However, among this chaos, a major turning point has come. For now, it seems that the Rangers reaching the postseason might be because of their backups and not their stars! At least this is what happened that night at Globe Life Field.

Patrick Corbin, who has been absolutely dreadful over the past month, suddenly seems to have caught the reflection of his older self. The veteran lefty managed eight scoreless innings against the Angels. That helped Texas get the 7-3 win and even out the series. This was also his first time pitching into the seventh since June. But it turned out exactly like the outing the Rangers needed at this point. Still, things are rocky, given that Bruce Bochy’s club is 4.5 games out of the Wild Card spot.

Meanwhile, former Ranger Tyler Phillips, who is now with the Marlins, has become a viral sensation for his OTT entrance. He channeled WWE legend “Stone Cold” Steve Austin before storming out to the sound of glass and lights. It was complete theater. And talking about ex-Rangers, Nataniel Lowe is reminding everyone that he still has some gas left in his tank. After his wrecked stint in Washington, the Boston Red Sox picked him up. And he is hitting .348, with seven RBIs in just eight games. So for Boston, the gamble is paying off. For the Rangers and the Eovaldi situation—not so much!