ARLINGTON, Texas — Texas Rangers right-hander Nathan Eovaldi was scratched from his scheduled start against San Diego on Saturday because of left knee soreness.
Lefty MacKenzie Gore was moved up a day to replace Eovaldi, and the Rangers didn’t immediately announce a starter for Sunday’s series finale against the Padres.
It’s the second time in a little more than a month that Eovaldi has been scratched from a start. The 36-year-old was dealing with tightness in his left side when he skipped a May 11 start against Arizona.
Eovaldi ended up missing one turn in the rotation before pitching seven scoreless innings and tying his season high with eight strikeouts in an 8-0 victory against Houston.
The two-time All-Star is 6-7 with a 4.23 ERA in 14 starts.
Eovaldi didn’t pitch after Aug. 22 last year because of a right rotator cuff strain, and it was revealed after the season that he needed sports hernia surgery. He was 11-3 with a career-best 1.73 ERA in 22 starts, but fell short of the number of innings required to qualify for the ERA title.