Eovaldi, who allowed three earned runs on six hits over 4.1 innings while recording three strikeouts in an 8-1 Grapefruit League loss to the Twins on Thursday, had his first start of the season pushed back a day, Bill Chastain of MLB.com reports.
The Rays plan to manage Eovaldi carefully in his return from a second Tommy John surgery, and the decision is apparently a strategic move in that regard. Multiple relievers will instead serve as the de facto third starter in the opening series against Boston, leaving the 29-year-old right-hander to take the ball for the finale on April 1. "The reasoning behind the bullpen day on Game 3, it just allows us with all the off-days, [to manage] specifically Nate's workload coming out of the gate," manager Kevin Cash said.