ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) - Tampa Bay pitcher Nathan Eovaldi has loose bodies in his pitching elbow and will undergo arthroscopic surgery.
The 28-year-old right-hander, expected to be part of the Rays four-man rotation after recovering from Tommy John surgery, was placed on the 10-day disabled list Wednesday ahead of the opener against Boston.
Eovaldi had a 3.24 ERA over 16 2/3 innings in five spring training appearances, and he has a $2 million base salary.
He last pitched in the majors on Aug. 10, 2016, with the New York Yankees. He was 9-8 with a 4.76 ERA in 21 starts and three relief appearances that year and is 38-46 with a 4.21 ERA over parts of six seasons with Miami, the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Yankees. His best season was 2015, when he was 14-3 with 4.20 ERA with New York.
Tampa Bay placed pitching prospect Jose De Leon on the 10-day disabled list, a moved that followed Tommy John surgery this month. Right-hander Austin Pruitt was recalled from Triple-A Durham and reliever Daniel Hudson, who has a $5.5 million guaranteed salary, was released. Another top prospect, Brent Honeywell, also had Tommy John surgery this spring.
The Rays had planned to roll with a four-man rotation to open the season, using the bullpen to cover games that would have gone to a fifth starter. Manager Kevin Cash plans to use his bullpen to cover Saturday’s game.
Eovaldi had been scheduled to pitch Sunday, the finale of the opening, four-game series against Boston.
Jake Faria, initially scheduled to pitch Monday in New York, will face the Red Sox on Sunday.
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