As if the disaster of a start to the 2019 season couldn’t get any worse for the Boston Red Sox, they will now be without one of their top pitchers for the foreseeable future.
On Saturday, Boston placed right-handed pitcher Nathan Eovaldi on the 10-day injured list with a loose body in his pitching elbow.
2019 Struggles: Just as Boston has stumbled out of the gate, one of its biggest contributors during the 2018 World Series run has also ran into trouble in the first month of the season.
- In 21 innings, Eovaldi surrendered 21 hits, carried just a 16/11 K/BB ratio and gave up more home runs (four) than he had in 54 innings for Boston last year (three).
- Eovaldi’s fastball velocity has actually ticked up as of late from 96 mph to 97-plus mph in his most two recent starts.
- The righty is coming off his best start this season, a six-inning gem against the New York Yankees in which he allowed just one unearned run.
This is the second time Eovaldi has dealt with loose bodies in his pitching elbow. He missed time in 2018 with loose bodies in his elbow, which led to him undergoing surgery and missing
Eovaldi is likely looking at a long-term absence, though surgery has not yet been mentioned. If he requires the same surgery as last season, he could miss at least six weeks of action.
In his absence, Boston will likely turn to Hector Velasquez to take over Eovaldi’s spot in the rotation. The team called up Bobby Poyner to take his spot on the roster.