Eovaldi will throw to live batters for the first time this spring Wednesday, Jason Mastrodonato of the Boston Herald reports.
Eovaldi takes the mound against opponents for the first time since he threw 97 pitches in six-plus innings of relief on one day's rest in Game 3 of last year's World Series against the Dodgers. Since that day, Eovaldi signed a four-year, $64 million contract with Boston, the organization he credits with making him a better and more complete pitcher. Under the tutelage of assistant pitching coach Brian Bannister, Eovaldi reworked his curveball, gaining velocity and break. "It was just eye-opening," Eovaldi said. "Now I'm understanding this thing and that thing, and I felt like it really helped my curveball toward the end of the season. I knew I climbed on it, got too high on my arm slot. Working with (Bannister) helped me get to the point where it was at the end of the season." Eovaldi is no longer reticent to throw the hook, something he did 19 times during Game 3, the most he's thrown in a single game in his career.