ST. PETERSBURG -- Nathan Eovaldi has loose bodies in his right elbow and has been scratched from his start on Sunday against the Red Sox. He will undergo arthroscopic surgery on a still-to-be-determined date.
The good news coming from the situation is that the ligament structure in Eovaldi's elbow is said to be sound.
Eovaldi was placed on the 10-day disabled list. His status going forward will be contingent on the outcome of the surgery.
Jake Faria, the team's fourth starter, will move up a day to start on Sunday against the Red Sox instead of Monday against the Yankees in New York. Right-hander Austin Pruitt was recalled, but the Rays have not yet announced who will move into the No. 4 spot in the rotation.
Eovaldi was returning from his second Tommy John surgery this season. He had a superlative spring, hitting 98 mph in the sixth inning of his last outing.
The Rays planned to go into the season using four starters with a "bullpen day" serving as the fifth starter when needed. Since Eovaldi was one of the four starters, the Rays will have to fill the gap he leaves.
As for possible replacements, the Rays could dip into their pool of long relievers -- Yonny Chirinos, Matt Andriese, Ryan Yarbrough, and Andrew Kittredge, and move one of the group into the rotation, or Pruitt.
The Rays' announced starters for their first five games are now as follows: Chris Archer, Thursday against the Red Sox; Blake Snell, Friday vs. Red Sox; TBD, Saturday vs. the Red Sox; Faria, Sunday vs. Red Sox; and TBD, Monday vs. Yankees.
Already this spring the Rays have had two pitchers, Brent Honeywell and Jose De Leon, undergo Tommy John surgery.