The Red Sox have assigned right-hander Nathan Eovaldi to the 10-day injured list after finding a loose body in his right elbow, per a team announcement. In a corresponding move, left-handed reliever Bobby Poyner was recalled from Triple-A Pawtucket to take Eovaldi’s spot on the 25-man roster.
While the move is retroactive to April 18, there’s little reason to believe that Eovaldi will be back on the mound anytime soon. The veteran righty has a history of elbow issues and missed over two months of the 2018 season when he underwent arthroscopic surgery to remove loose bodies from his elbow last spring. For now, however, any definite recovery timetable or pending surgical procedures have yet to be announced.
After struggling through his first few outings of 2019, Eovaldi looked like he finally hit his stride during his last start against the Yankees on Wednesday. He tossed six quality innings, allowing just one unearned run, three hits, and three walks, and striking out six of 23 batters in the Red Sox’ eventual 5-3 loss. He currently holds a 6.00 ERA, 4.7 BB/9, and 6.9 SO/9 across 21 innings.
The Red Sox have not formally announced a replacement for Eovaldi in the rotation, but will turn to Poyner as they seek to strengthen a bullpen that currently ranks eighth-best in the AL. The 26-year-old lefty reliever presented well for Triple-A Pawtucket in his first five appearances of 2019, issuing three runs, five walks, and 13 strikeouts through 6 1/3 innings.
