Eovaldi is continuing to progress ahead of schedule in his recovery from loose bodies in his right elbow, Bill Chastain of MLB.com reports. "Another good day," manager Kevin Cash said. "[Pitching coach] Kyle [Snyder] said his progress has been pretty remarkable. He said he'd almost compare it to a scraped elbow, and then coming back and throwing. He threw off the mound a little bit today, so he's probably as much on schedule if not ahead of it."

EDGE Analysis

The right-hander's original recovery timetable following late March surgery was supposed to be 8-10 weeks, but it increasingly appears Eovaldi might come in at or beat the lower end of that range. The Rays officially named Yonny Chirinos there No. 4 starter for the time being Saturday, a slot in the rotation that was originally slated to be Eovaldi's coming out of spring training.

Eovaldi (elbow) could return in late May, Bill Chastain of MLB.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

This is speculation on the part of manager Kevin Cash, but a May return at least sounds possible. For now, the Rays will continue to utilize a unique approach the back of the rotation, with Yonny Chirinos and Ryan Yarbrough logging shorter starts with a long reliever coming in to piggyback those outings.

Eovaldi (elbow) advanced to playing catch Friday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

EDGE Analysis

The right-hander drew rave reviews from manager Kevin Cash, who commented that Eovaldi was "throwing [the ball] through the concrete" in sock throw drills. Eovaldi still faces an extended absence due to the nature of his injury, but it seems like the early returns from his rehab program are promising.

Eovaldi will undergo arthroscopic surgery for loose bodies in his elbow and will be sidelined for six-to-eight weeks, Marc Topkin of The Tampa Bay Times reports.

EDGE Analysis

After further evaluation by the Rays' doctors, the club determined that Eovaldi could be back on the mound by June since there doesn't appear to be any damage within his ligament structure. There should be a better gauge of his timetable once Eovaldi is able to resume throwing. In his place, the club recalled Austin Pruitt from Triple-A Durham.

Eovaldi will be sidelined for an extended period of time with loose bodies in his right elbow, which will likely require arthroscopic surgery, Marc Topkin of The Tampa Bay Times reports.

EDGE Analysis

In another unfortunate break for the right-hander, Eovaldi could miss the entire 2018 season due to this injury. The 28-year-old was currently working his way back from a second Tommy John surgery that the he underwent in August of 2016. There will likely be an update on his status in the coming days once a proper plan of action is in place.

Eovaldi, who struck out four and allowed two earned runs on seven hits and a walk over six innings in a 2-2 Grapefruit League tie with the Tigers on Monday, finished spring training with a 3.24 ERA and 14 strikeouts in 16.2 frames across five appearances.

EDGE Analysis

He went a long way this spring towards demonstrating that he's back to full strength after his second Tommy John surgery, and he capped off a solid spring by hitting 98 mph on the gun in his final frame Monday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports. Eovaldi was able to work all the way up to 89 pitches against the Tigers, and his endurance has been such that manager Kevin Cash has stated he may occasionally relax his plans to limit the right-hander's workload in the coming campaign.

Eovaldi was scratched from Tuesday's scheduled start against the Orioles due to threatening weather, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

EDGE Analysis

Eovaldi is not hurt; the Rays simply don't want his schedule disrupted by an abridged outing. The team is being extra cautious with the 28-year-old righty as he returns from his second Tommy John surgery, having already pushed back his first start by a day. That extra caution shouldn't necessarily be taken as a sign that Eovaldi's health isn't where the team wants it to be, as it's simply best practice to not push a player too hard in his situation. He's looked good so far this spring, striking out ten batters and walking none through 10.2 innings.

Eovaldi, who allowed three earned runs on six hits over 4.1 innings while recording three strikeouts in an 8-1 Grapefruit League loss to the Twins on Thursday, had his first start of the season pushed back a day, Bill Chastain of MLB.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

The Rays plan to manage Eovaldi carefully in his return from a second Tommy John surgery, and the decision is apparently a strategic move in that regard. Multiple relievers will instead serve as the de facto third starter in the opening series against Boston, leaving the 29-year-old right-hander to take the ball for the finale on April 1. "The reasoning behind the bullpen day on Game 3, it just allows us with all the off-days, [to manage] specifically Nate's workload coming out of the gate," manager Kevin Cash said.

Eovaldi's fastball was clocked as high as 99 mph in his three-inning stint during a 5-3 Grapefruit League win over the Phillies on Saturday, J. Scott Butherus of MLB.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

Eovaldi gave up an earned run -- his first of spring -- on four hits during his time on the mound, while also recording three strikeouts. The veteran right-hander is attempting to become the 12th pitcher in MLB history to start a big-league regular-season game after two Tommy John surgeries, and he appears to be well on his way to not only doing so, but thriving as the projected No. 4 starter this coming season. The 28-year-old has looked stellar through four spring outings and didn't even allowing a baserunner until his third exhibition start.

Eovaldi (1-0) fired a pair of scoreless innings in Sunday's 9-1 Grapefruit League win over the Yankees, allowing two hits and recording two strikeouts.

EDGE Analysis

The veteran's recovery from 2016 Tommy John surgery took another significant step forward, with his fastball remaining in the high 90s consistently and even getting to 100 mph, according to Bill Chastain of MLB.com. Already penciled in as part of the four-man rotation that manager Kevin Cash expects to deploy in the first month of the season, Eovaldi has now fired 3.1 scoreless frames and racked up four strikeouts across two spring training appearances.