SURPRISE, Ariz. — There was at least a little mystery about which pitcher the Rangers would honor with the Opening Day start.
But not the kind that led to Tanner Scheppers once starting one.
This time around, the Rangers had two very strong options, a guy who posted a 1.73 ERA last year and another who has won two Cy Youngs and made a triumphant return to full-time pitching in 2025. Manager Skip Schumaker will try to honor both, choosing Nathan Eovaldi to start the season opener at Philadelphia on March 26 and Jacob deGrom, the two-time Cy Young Award winner, the home opener on April 3.
“I think it’s a pretty easy decision, even though we have Jacob and [MacKenzie] Gore right behind him,” Schumaker said. “Evo is coming off the injury last year, but where he’s at right now, with the leadership he provides and the standards he sets is awesome. I know you could probably make a case for all three guys, so I shouldn’t say ‘easy,’ but it does potentially line up for us to have one guy start the opener and another the home opener. I think it just worked out really well with off days and the games on the road to start.”
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Eovaldi is scheduled to make his final spring outing on Friday, which would then give him five days rest ahead of the opener. DeGrom, who pitched in a back field game Sunday morning, was scheduled to wrap up spring training in the Arizona finale (or in a minor league game). With the Rangers having a scheduled off day on March 27 in case of inclement weather in Philadelphia, then five days before facing Cincinnati in the home opener.
It’s likely Gore and Jack Leiter would follow in succession, with the Rangers still undecided on a fifth starter between Jacob Latz and Kumar Rocker. Both could have two more starts before rosters must be finalized.
For Eovaldi, it will be his third straight Opening Day start for the Rangers and the seventh of his career.
“I think they’re all very special, whether it was the first one or this one,” said Eovaldi, who was 11-3 with a 1.73 ERA before a rotator cuff strain cut his season short. “I take a lot of honor and pride in going out there and being able to represent the Rangers. I want to be able to start the season strong and end it strong, too.”
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