Former Red Sox World Series Hero Facing Offseason Surgery, Rehab

Former Boston Red Sox pitcher Nathan Eovaldi will be on the road to recovery during the offseason.

MLB Trade Rumors’ Mark Polishuk reports the right-hander could be facing sports hernia surgery and is scheduled to visit a specialist this week.

The 2025 campaign was a season of what-could-have-been for Eovaldi. He posted a career-low 1.73 ERA but only made 22 starts for the Texas Rangers while battling arm problems, including a rotator cuff strain and elbow inflammation.

Rangers general manager Ross Fenstermaker said Eovaldi’s offseason throwing program can resume as scheduled once the sports hernia is addressed, according to the Dallas Morning News’ Shawn McFarland.

“Sports hernia surgeries have a fairly broad recovery period of roughly 6-12 weeks depending on the nature of the procedure, so there could be some impact on Eovaldi’s regular throwing build-up, which in turn would possibly delay his availability for Spring Training,” Polishuk noted.

The Rangers will be counting on a healthy Eovaldi to team with two-time Cy Young Award winner Jacob deGrom and anchor a Rangers pitching staff just two years removed from winning the first World Series title in franchise history.

According to Spotrac, Eovaldi signed a three-year, $75 million contract before the 2025 season. He’s owed $25 million in each of the next two seasons and his deal includes a full no-trade clause.

The 35-year-old Eovaldi is a two-time All-Star and two-time World Series champion, most notably in 2018 with the Red Sox.

No one will forget his performance in Game 3 against the Los Angeles Dodgers, coming out of the bullpen to throw six innings of relief in a tied ballgame.

Eovaldi took the loss that night, but his performance propelled Boston to winning the World Series in five games.