Just one day after trading away their veteran catcher, the New York Yankees have DFA’d right-hander Nathan Eovaldi.
According to the New York Yankees‘ PR department, the team has designated Nathan Eovaldi for assignment just over 24 hours after making their first substantial move of the offseason.
The 26-year-old flamethrower is expected to miss all of 2017 as a result of two detrimental injuries to his right elbow. Eovaldi needed two surgeries to repair a partial tear of his UCL — his second Tommy John operation — and a complete tear of his flexor tendon.
Earlier today the Yankees made the following roster moves: pic.twitter.com/vuTb7uHqfB
— Yankees PR Dept. (@YankeesPR) November 19, 2016
A native of Houston, the right-hander logged 279 innings over two seasons with the Yankees, who acquired him from the Miami Marlins prior to the 2015 campaign. His two years defined inconsistency, recording a 4.45 ERA while allowing 298 hits and 33 home runs throughout a largely shaky tenure in the Bronx.
Eovaldi showed flashes of brilliance on numerous occasions, and then typically turned in brutal follow-up performances. In other words, he was extremely streaky.
Run support, however, was not the problem. Combined between 2015 and 2016, the youngster tallied 23 wins as opposed to 11 losses, including a stellar 14-3 mark in his first season in pinstripes.
Given that he is set to become a free agent after this season, there is no reason for him to take a roster spot. An eventual release is completely feasible, putting an end to a partnership that did not end the way either side would have liked.
