Josh Jung is running. Nathan Eovaldi is throwing. The Texas Rangers are waiting.
In advance of Thursday's game with the Tampa Bay Rays , manager Skip Schumaker, Jung and Eovaldi provided updates to reporters on the injuries that have kept the pair on the injured list for more than a month.
Jung ran again on Thursday, as he told MLB.com's Kennedi Landry that he jogged "linear with two arcs." He's closing in on running the bases full speed. He was also one of the batters that faced reliever Robert Garcia when the injured left-handed reliever threw his live bullpen earlier this week. Jung has participated in baseball activities this week, but the key for him is to be able to run the bases full speed, which he hasn't been able to do.
Jung has been on the injured list since July 25 with a strained left calf. His progress has been slower than expected.
As for Eovaldi, he threw a 25-pitch bullpen on Thursday, per Jeff Wilson of DLLS Sports . The right-hander will rest on Friday and then Texas will determine his next step. There's a possibility that he could throw a live batting practice, which is usually the last step before a rehab assignment. But there's a question as to how much of a build-up Eovaldi can get done in the minors to help the Rangers.
Eovaldi has been on the IL since Aug. 10 with right posterior elbow inflammation. In 2023 when he returned in late August from a month-long stretch on the IL he built up at the Major League level.
The Rangers know where they stand going into Thursday's game. The Houston Astros beat the Chicago White Sox on Thursday, temporarily moving 2.5 games ahead of Texas. The Rangers need a win over the AL East-leading Rays to keep pace.
Texas lost to the Athletics, 9-2, on Wednesday. Per Rangers game notes, Texas is 13-9 in the game after losing a game by seven or more runs.
Texas Rangers starting pitcher Cal Quantrill. Credit: Benny Sieu-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Cal Quantrill was set to start Thursday's game for the Rangers and he was named the team's pitcher of the month by the local media. But his work against the Rays is almost without peer.
Per Rangers notes, Quantrill has the fourth-best WHIP (walks and hits allowed per nine innings) of any active pitcher that has thrown at least 30 innings against the Rays. His 0.772 WHIP is behind Max Fried (0.651), Craig Kimbrel (0.655) and Aroldis Chapman (0.739).
Earlier this season the Rangers lost two out of three against the Rays at Tropicana Field. But in recent history the Rangers have been the better team in their matchups. Texas is 20-15 against Tampa Bay since 2021, with a. 12-4 record at Globe Life Field.
Texas has also won nine straight games against Tampa Bay in Arlington, going back to July 17, 2023. That is the franchise's longest home winning streak against any opponent since a 10-game streak against the Chicago White Sox from Aug. 1, 2023 to June 15, 2025, per TruMedia.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/mlb/rangers/onsi as Rangers Notes: Josh Jung, Nathan Eovaldi Gaining Momentum Toward Injury Return .
