The New York Yankees just received dreadful news on flamethrowing right-hander Nathan Eovaldi.
According to Jack Curry of the YES Network, Nathan Eovaldi — who is currently on the 15-day DL — has a torn flexor tendon and a partially torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow. The 27-year-old will need two surgeries, sidelining him for the remainder of 2016 and all of 2017.
The Eovaldi news is grim. He told reporters he has torn flexor tendon and partially torn UCL. Needs 2 surgeries. Will miss all of 2017.
— Jack Curry (@JackCurryYES) August 16, 2016
Eovaldi was 9-8 with a 4.78 ERA in 24 appearances (21 starts) this season prior to going down.
Nathan Eovaldi’s flexor tendon was torn clear off the bone.
— Jared Diamond (@jareddiamond) August 16, 2016
The right-hander previously underwent Tommy John surgery in high school. Now, he will need to undergo the procedure for a second time. Furthermore, he will need to go under the knife to repair the tendon, which makes the elbow injury incredibly detrimental.
Eovaldi was set to become a free agent after next season, likely drawing interest from multiple teams. Given the major setback, his future is in question.
The altered Yankee starting staff now looks like this:
The #Yankees starting rotation moving forward is:
Masahiro Tanaka
CC Sabathia
Michael Pineda
Chad Green
Luis Cessa— Jared Diamond (@jareddiamond) August 16, 2016