With the news earlier this week of 22-year old Rubby De La Rosa needing Tommy John surgery, the Dodgers had a hole in their rotation. It appears the club in filling that hole will get even younger. The Dodgers are expected to promote 21-year old Nate Eovaldi from Double A Chattanooga to make his major league debut Saturday night in Arizona against the Diamondbacks.
↵David Paschall of the Chattanooga Times Free Press reported that Eovaldi has been called up, though the Dodgers have not made any official announcement yet. Eovaldi is not on the 40-man roster, though the club has just 38 players currently on the roster so there is no shortage of space. John Ely, who made 18 starts for the Dodgers last season and who has started all year in Albuquerque, was recalled on Monday but has yet to pitch. Ely is a candidate to be optioned to make room on the active roster for Eovaldi, though Ely may be kept as an option in long relief. Josh Lindblom is another candidate to be demoted.
↵Eovaldi was drafted by the Dodgers in the 11th round in 2008, though before this season his future was murky. Baseball America had him ranked as the 17th best prospect in the Dodgers' system, not exactly a ringing endorsement. However, Eovaldi has been stellar all year in Double A, with a 6-5 record and 2.62 ERA in 20 games, including 19 starts. Eovaldi has 99 strikeouts and 46 walks in 103 innings this season.
↵Eovaldi, born on February 13, 1990, will be the first Dodger born in the 1990s
↵For more news and information on Eovaldi and the Dodgers, be sure to read True Blue LA.