Struggling Nathan Eovaldi Demoted to Bullpen Prior to Chicago Opener

Following rookie Chad Green‘s showcase against the Padres on July 3, the Yankees have informed Nathan Eovaldi that he will not be making his next scheduled start.

With set-up men Dellin Betances and Andrew Miller having pitched in consecutive games in San Diego, a short-handed Joe Girardi decided to transition Eovaldi’s heat into a late-inning reliever option, should the need arise, in the opener against the White Sox.

Green will start Friday in place of Eovaldi.

According to Lohud Yankees Blog on Twitter, the demotion is expected to last until the end of the All Star break. The Yankees plan to resume their principal rotation — sans-Luis Severino — of Masahiro Tanaka, Michael Pineda, Eovaldi, Ivan Nova, and CC Sabathia after the mid-season festivities.

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The redesigned rotation and bullpen may not be etched in stone, but with the core of Yankees’ middle-relief being either injured or incapable, it’s worth pondering how tempted Girardi would be to keep a hard-throwing right-hander in a sixth-inning role, given that both Green and Eovaldi perform in their newly assigned positions.

Despite featuring a triple-digit fastball and a revamped splitter, Eovaldi has been the most inconsistent starter in the Yankees’ rotation. Over his last 36.1 innings, the righty has observed 32 earned runs score over a span of 51 hits.

In a total of 16 starts, Eovaldi’s ERA sits at a bulbous 5.54 in 91 innings pitched. A 1.41 WHIP, accompanied by only 76 strikeouts, further indicated that it was time for a change.

All the while, Green posted an International League-leading 1.54 ERA as a starter in 81.2 frames at the Triple-A level. Don’t be surprised if another solid outing on Friday forces the Yankees’ hand in keeping the 25 year old around with the big league club.