Rays manager Kevin Cash said that the team will deploy a four-man rotation into May that includes Chris Archer, Blake Snell, Jake Faria and Eovaldi, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
Though Eovaldi didn't even make a single appearance for the Rays or any of their minor-league affiliates in 2017 while recovering from Tommy John surgery, Cash apparently has no qualms about handing the right-hander a rotation spot after watching Eovaldi throw in the early stages of spring training. Since Eovaldi underwent the elbow procedure in August of 2016, he's had more time to recover and regain velocity than most pitchers returning from the operation, making the Rays optimistic that he'll be able to provide quality innings right away in his return to the mound. If Eovaldi should falter in his initial outings or struggle to stay healthy, Matt Andriese and top prospect Brent Honeywell would likely rank as the top candidates to replace him in the rotation.