Rangers scratch Nathan Eovaldi from his scheduled start because of left side tightness

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Texas Rangers right-hander Nathan Eovaldi was scratched from his scheduled start Monday night because of left side tightness.

About three hours before the scheduled first pitch of their series opener at home against Arizona, the Rangers said right-handed reliever Jakob Junis would start in Eovaldi's place for what would be a bullpen game.

Rangers manager Skip Schumaker said Eovaldi felt the tightness earlier Monday and then had medical imaging. The team was awaiting the results to find out the severity of the issue and determine the next steps for the 36-year-old pitcher.

Eovaldi (4-4, 4.15 ERA) is coming off consecutive wins against the Yankees in his last two starts, limiting the Yankees to one run and striking out 15 over 15 innings in those games. He allowed one run over eight innings at Yankee Stadium last Wednesday and threw seven scoreless innings against them in his last home start on April 29.

The two-time All-Star went 11-3 with a career-best 1.73 ERA last season when he was limited to 22 starts. He missed most of June with elbow inflammation and didn't pitch after Aug. 22 because of a rotator cuff strain.

A setback for Josh Smith

Second baseman Josh Smith is now dealing with a wrist inflammation while working to come back from a strained right glute, according to Schumaker.

The wrist soreness likely will push back Smith's return from the 10-day injured list. He was placed on the IL last week, retroactive to May 4, and would be eligible to be activated Friday night before the opener of a series in Houston.

Smith, who took over as the primary second baseman after Marcus Semien was traded during the offseason, hit .217 with no homers and six RBIs in 31 games before getting hurt. He had a .977 fielding percentage, with two errors in 88 total chances.

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