Nathan Eovaldi Looked Sharp in Triple-A Rehab Assignment for Red Sox

On Thursday, pitcher Nathan Eovaldi made a rehab outing for Triple-A Pawtucket and threw in-game pitches for the first time in three months.

The expectation is for Eovaldi to move to the bullpen and become Boston's closer, and if that's the plan, it's off to a good start down on the farm, as he tossed a scoreless inning and struck out the side.

Nathan Eovaldi's 2nd inning with the @PawSox: 0 H, 1 BB, 3 SO; 1 balk, 19 pitches (11 strikes); reached 98 mph; generated 4 swing and misses. #RedSox
— Brendan McGair (@BWMcGair03) July 18, 2019

Eovaldi threw 19 pitches on Thursday, 11 of which went for strikes. He even touched 98 mph with his fastball.

The 29-year-old needed surgery to remove bone chips in his right elbow and his return was delayed by a setback in June thanks to tendinitis in his biceps.

Nathan Eovaldi solid in rehab outing at Pawtucket, but Cora notes that his return isn’t the most important factor in improving the Red Sox bullpen/workload https://t.co/dU4a5MvCBA via @BostonGlobe
— Alex Speier (@alexspeier) July 18, 2019

Boston is not getting a lot of length out of their starting pitchers, which has put a lot of pressure on the bullpen, which is headlined by Matt Barnes and Brandon Workman. The Red Sox have already optioned reliever Ryan Brasier, so Eovaldi's addition, especially late in the game, will be a huge upgrade for a bullpen that has had its struggles from Day 1.