Tampa Bay Rays near deal with injured free-agent pitcher Nathan Eovaldi

The Tampa Bay Rays are taking another in a long line of fliers with their pitching staff.

Multiple reports emerged Sunday the Rays are on the verge of signing free-agent pitcher Nathan Eovaldi, who will miss all of this season after undergoing Tommy John surgery in August.

The reports indicated the Rays and Eovaldi, who will turn 27 on Monday, are negotiating a one-year contract worth $2 million with a club option for 2018. That would give the Rays the ability to oversee his rehabilitation process and make a decision next offseason whether to exercise the option.

The deal cannot be announced until the Rays create space on their 40-man roster to add Eovaldi.

Eovaldi, a starter for the New York Yankees the past two seasons, sustained a partial tear of the UCL in his right elbow and tore the flexor tendon off the bone in his right forearm. The Tommy John surgery was his second; he underwent his first such surgery in high school when he was 17. The recovery time for the flexor tendon surgery was three to six months, while the Tommy John surgery will require up to 18 months.

His last appearance was on Aug. 10, and he indicated that he started feeling pain in the arm during a start against the New York Mets on Aug. 4.

The Yankees released Eovaldi in November rather than go to salary arbitration with him. Eovaldi made $5.6 million in 2016.

The Rays are hoping he can regain his 2015 from and his 100 mph fastball. Eovaldi enjoyed his best season in 2015 with the Yankees: He went 14-3 with a 4.20 ERA and 121 strikouts over 154 1/3 innings. He also averaged 7.1 strikeouts per nine innings that season.

Last year, he went 9-8 with a 4.76 ERA. For his career, Eovaldi, a native of Houston, is 38-46 with a 4.21 ERA.

He was drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 11th round of the 2008 draft and signed. He rose quickly through the minors, making his debut with the Dodgers in August, 2011. He appeared in 20 games before being traded to Miami in a 2012 deadline deal that brought Hanley Ramirez to the Dodgers. He spent two-plus seasons in Miami before joining the Yankees.

This story was originally published February 13, 2017 at 12:58 AM with the headline "Tampa Bay Rays near deal with injured free-agent pitcher Nathan Eovaldi."