Rays' Eovaldi to undergo elbow surgery, will start on DL

Nathan Eovaldi's comeback from his second Tommy John surgery has hit a bump in the road.

After an excellent spring training, the Tampa Bay Rays announced Wednesday that the right-hander will begin the season on the 10-day disabled list after undergoing arthroscopic surgery to remove loose bodies in his elbow.

The ligament structure in Eovaldi's elbow is not a concern, and he's expected to return sometime this season, reports Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times.

Jacob Faria will start for the Rays on Sunday against the Boston Red Sox in Eovaldi's place, while their starter for Saturday's contest is listed as TBD, according to the Boston Globe's Pete Abraham. The Rays also recalled right-hander Austin Pruitt to replace Eovaldi on the 25-man roster.

Eovaldi's absence is a major blow to the Rays, who were attempting to run with a four-man rotation this season using bullpen days to cover other rotation gaps as needed. Now, manager Kevin Cash is down to just three starters: ace Chris Archer, and youngsters Blake Snell and Faria.

Eovaldi suffered a damaged ulnar collateral ligament in his elbow, which required him to undergo Tommy John surgery for a second time, and a fully torn flexor tendon in August 2016. He missed all of last season recovering from those injuries.

After rehabbing on the sidelines in 2017, he posted a 3.24 ERA with 14 strikeouts and just one walk in 16 2/3 Grapefruit League innings - work that had earned him a spot in the Rays' rotation before Wednesday's news.

"(My first start is) probably going to feel like a World Series game," the 28-year-old told theScore in January while discussing his nearly two-year-long rehab. "I'm going to be so excited."