Eovaldi to miss 2017 season with torn elbow tendon, ligament

The rebuilding New York Yankees received some devastating news Tuesday, as Nathan Eovaldi has been diagnosed with a torn flexor tendon and a partially torn UCL in his right elbow, and is expected to miss the entire 2017 campaign, according to multiple reports.

Sent for an MRI on his elbow after being placed on the 15-day DL on Friday, Eovaldi told reporters his flexor tendon was "torn away from the bone," and noted that he'll require two surgeries, likely precluding him from pitching next season, Jack Curry of YES Network reports.

"It's a huge blow," Eovaldi said, according to MLB.com. "It's my second one, so it's a big deal. Hopefully everything goes well with the surgery and I work hard to get back."

Eovaldi, who underwent Tommy John surgery in his junior year of high school, lasted just one inning in Wednesday's start against the Boston Red Sox due to elbow discomfort, and sparked concern in the Yankees' dugout with significantly diminished velocity.

"(Pitching coach) Larry (Rothschild) asked him three or four times, 'Are you OK?,'" manager Joe Girardi told MLB.com's Aaron Leibowitz on Wednesday. "He kept saying, 'Yep. Yep. Yep.' Larry asked him again. He finally said he felt something in his elbow. We took him out."

Acquired by the Yankees ahead of the 2015 campaign, Eovaldi has stumbled through a mediocre tenure in the Bronx, managing a 4.20 ERA with a 1.45 WHIP in 27 starts last year while missing time down the stretch with shoulder and elbow issues. In 2016, the hard-throwing 26-year-old regressed further, posting a career-worst 4.76 ERA while serving up 23 homers in 124 2/3 innings, and getting demoted to the bullpen for a couple weeks in July before returning to the rotation.