Eovaldi said Saturday that a "mechanical issue" was the root cause in a decrease in velocity during his last start, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News reports.
Eovaldi struggled over six innings against the White Sox last Tuesday, and his dip in fastball velocity prompted speculation. The right-hander averaged 93.8 mph, his lowest of the season and second lowest since the beginning of 2022. "I'm aware that my velocity was down [Tuesday]," Eovaldi said Saturday. "But I'm like, OK, I've got four different pitches. If I learned anything from last year, it's that even if velocity wasn't there, I can still go out and compete without my mid-90s fastball. I felt fine." Rangers manager Bruce Bochy doesn't appear to be worried, as he moved up Eovaldi's next start from Monday (against Detroit) to Sunday's series finale against the Yankees. When the Rangers have an off day, as they did Thursday, Bochy typically gives a starter an extra day of rest but opted to have Eovaldi pitch on normal rest.