Nathan Eovaldi injury: Rangers place All-Star on IL with forearm strain after Max Scherzer trade

The Texas Rangers have placed one of their starting pitchers on the injured list the day after adding Max Scherzer in a blockbuster trade. Nathan Eovaldi was placed on the 15-day injured list with a right forearm strain, the Rangers announced Sunday. Righty Grant Anderson has been called up in a corresponding move.

Eovaldi has not appeared in a game since July 18 due to elbow soreness. His fastball velocity was down close to 3 mph in that July 18 game. The Rangers skipped Eovaldi's last start hoping the rest would clear things up, though that didn't happen. He recently underwent an MRI that showed no structural damage.

"This was talked about before the season. At some point, we'd like to give these guys a little extra time," Rangers manager Bruce Bochy told the Associated Press when it was announced Eovaldi would skip his last start.

Forearm strains are a common symptom of elbow ligament trouble and Eovaldi has already had Tommy John surgery twice (May 2007 and August 2016). Texas lost ace Jacob deGrom to his second career Tommy John surgery earlier this season. At the moment, the club's rotation looks something like this:

Heaney and Perez have mostly struggled this season, plus Scherzer is no longer the pitcher he was in his prime. It is no surprise then that the Rangers are said to be in the market for another starter even after adding Scherzer.

Eovaldi, 33, has been a revelation since joining Texas on a two-year, $34 million contract this past offseason. He's thrown 123 2/3 innings with a 2.69 ERA, earning him a spot in the All-Star Game. Eovaldi's 3.6 WAR is second among all pitchers, trailing only New York Yankees ace Gerrit Cole (4.8 WAR).

The Rangers enter play Sunday in first place in the NL West with a 60-45 record. They are only a game up on the Houston Astros, however, and winning the division likely secures a Wild Card Series bye. Texas has not been to the postseason since 2016.

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