Nathan Eovaldi’s excellent first half wasn’t good enough to earn him a trip to Atlanta for All-Star Weekend, but the Texas Rangers rewarded the veteran right-handed for his performance so far this season.
According to ESPN’s Jeff Passan, the Rangers paid the 35-year-old Eovaldi his $100,000 All-Star appearance bonus even though he was left off of the American League roster.
Through 16 starts this season, Eovaldi is 7-3 with a 1.58 ERA, 0.85 WHIP and a .194 opponent batting average over 91 innings. He would be the MLB ERA leader, but a triceps injury in late May cost him a month and he is short of the 97 innings needed to qualify for individual statistic categories.
Eovaldi, a 2021 and 2023 All-Star while with the Boston Red Sox, re-signed with the Rangers in December on a three-year, $75 million deal after spending the past two seasons with Texas. He won his last three starts heading into the All-Star break and has allowed zero or one run in 11 of his 16 starts.
There are other bonuses Eovaldi can pursue this year. According to Spotrac, he can earn $250,000 for winning the AL Cy Young Award; $200,000 for finishing second; and $150,000 for placing third. If he takes home World Series MVP honors he can earn $150,000, and $100,000 if he is named a Gold Glove winner or LCS MVP.
Eovaldi will return to the mound on Sunday when the Rangers face Tarik Skubal and the Detroit Tigers at home.
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