Nathan Eovaldi is headed back to the Dodgers.
The right-hander went 1-2 with a 3.63 ERA in 10 appearances (six starts) last season. He left double-A Chattanooga on Thursday and will join the Dodgers in Los Angeles on Friday, according to the Times Free Press.
The Dodgers have yet to announce the move, so it’s uncertain who will make room for him on the 25-man roster. Manager Don Mattingly did say after Thursday’s game that Eovaldi would not be replacing anyone in the rotation.
The most likely candidate is Michael Antonini, though Mike MacDougal has been ill.
The left-handed Antonini was called up Tuesday to replace Matt Guerrier (elbow tendinitis) against the Braves, who featured four left-handers in their lineup. In two games, he never did get a call out of the bullpen to make his major-league debut.
In his last two starts for Chattanooga, Eovaldi was pulled after throwing only one inning, so something had been brewing with him and the Dodgers for a while. He had no decisions in four games with the Lookouts, with a 2.08 ERA in 13 innings (14 strikeouts).
--Steve Dilbeck
