Veteran right-hander Nathan Eovaldi will open the 2026 season for the Texas Rangers on March 26 against the Philadelphia Phillies, manager Skip Schumaker confirmed. The 36-year-old ace, who missed most of the 2025 season due to offseason sports hernia surgery following a career-best 1.73 ERA in 22 starts, returns for his third consecutive Opening Day start. Eovaldi, who went 11-3 with 130 innings last season, fell short of the innings threshold to qualify as MLB's ERA leader despite his dominant performance. Pittsburgh's Paul Skenes led the majors with a 1.97 ERA while Detroit's Tarik Skubal topped the American League at 2.21.

Eovaldi has won at least 11 games each season since joining the Rangers in 2023, compiling a 102-84 career record and a 3.84 ERA across 14 big league seasons with six teams. He has secured World Series championships with Boston in 2018 and Texas in 2023.