ZACH EFLIN NEWS

Gibson, Phillies to take on Anderson, Braves

The Braves will roll out Ian Anderson to the mound Thursday and the Phillies will give Kyle Gibson the start

SEPTEMBER 30, 2021 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Nola scheduled to start for Phillies at Braves

The Braves will roll out Max Fried to the mound Wednesday and the Phillies will give Aaron Nola the start

SEPTEMBER 29, 2021 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Pittsburgh Pirates to visit the Philadelphia Phillies

The Pirates will start Max Kranick on Sunday while the Phillies have yet to announce who will take the mound

SEPTEMBER 26, 2021 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Suarez scheduled to start as Philadelphia hosts Pittsburgh

The Pirates will start Wil Crowe on Saturday while the Phillies are expected to counter with Ranger Suarez

SEPTEMBER 25, 2021 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Gibson scheduled to start for Philadelphia against Pittsburgh

The Pirates will start Sam Howard on Friday and the Phillies are expected to counter with Kyle Gibson

SEPTEMBER 24, 2021 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Nola scheduled to start for Philadelphia against Pittsburgh

The Phillies will roll out Aaron Nola to the mound Thursday and the Pirates will give Connor Overton the start

SEPTEMBER 23, 2021 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Baltimore Orioles to visit the Philadelphia Phillies

The Orioles will start Chris Ellis on Tuesday while the Phillies have yet to announce who will take the mound

SEPTEMBER 21, 2021 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Means scheduled to start for Baltimore against Philadelphia

The Phillies are expected to send Ranger Suarez to the mound Monday and the Orioles will give John Means the start

SEPTEMBER 20, 2021 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Season-ending surgery on tap Eflin will undergo surgery Friday to repair the patellar tendon in his right knee and is expected to require 6-to-8 months of recovery time, Matt Breen of The Philadelphia Inquirer...

Impact The procedure is Eflin's second on the knee in less than five years, which could prompt the Phillies to take a cautious approach with him over the winter and spring before a firmer target date for his 2022 debut is established. Regardless, the 6-to-8-month window means that Eflin will more than likely open the upcoming campaign on the shelf. Before he was shut down Aug. 27 due to the knee injury and MLB's health and safety protocols for COVID-19, Eflin submitted a 4-7 record, 4.17 ERA and 1.25 WHIP over his 18 starts.

SEPTEMBER 8, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Likely done for regular season Manager Joe Girardi acknowledged Saturday that Eflin (knee, COVID-19 injured list) could miss the remainder of the regular season, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports. "I would say tha...

Impact After making an abbreviated minor-league rehab start Aug. 21, Eflin was activated from the 10-day injured list in advance of his scheduled outing Thursday against the Diamondbacks, but he was unable to take the hill after his right patellar tendintis flared up prior to the contest. The Phillies placed him on the 10-day injured list Friday, only to transfer him to the COVID-19 IL later that day after he tested positive for the coronavirus. Eflin will now have to complete a quarantine of at least 10 days before he's allowed to rejoin the Phillies for workouts, and it's not clear if he'll even be ready to start up a throwing program by then. With just five weeks left in the regular season and a pair of medical concerns in tow, Eflin doesn't look as though he'll have enough time to ramp up for starting duty. If he does make his way back from the IL before season's end, Eflin may have to settle for a bullpen role.

AUGUST 30, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Placed on COVID-19 IL Eflin (knee) was placed on the COVID-19 injured list Friday.

Impact It's not yet clear if he's tested positive for the virus. Eflin was already moved to the 10-day injured list earlier Friday due to right knee tendinitis, so him being added to the COVID-19 IL likely won't have a huge impact on his availability going forward. The right-hander underwent an MRI on his knee earlier Friday and is awaiting the results.

AUGUST 27, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Phillies place Zach Eflin, 2 others on COVID-related injured list Before the injury, Eflin boasted a 4-7 record over 18 starts this season with a 4.17 ERA.

AUGUST 27, 2021 • THEATHLETIC.COM

Returns to injured list Eflin (knee) was placed on the 10-day injured list Friday, Matt Breen of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Impact Eflin was activated from the IL to start Thursday's game against Arizona, but he was scratched after experiencing recurring discomfort in his right knee and is now back on the shelf. The right-hander underwent an MRI on Friday and is currently awaiting the results. Matt Moore should remain in the rotation for the Phillies in Eflin's continued absence.

AUGUST 27, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Late scratch after knee setback Eflin won't start Thursday's game against the Diamondbacks after he experienced recurring discomfort in his right knee while warming up, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports.

Impact After missing more than five weeks with right patella tendinitis, Eflin was reinstated from the 10-day injured list Thursday, only to experience a setback less than two hours after being activated. The Phillies haven't indicated whether the issue is significant enough to send Eflin back to the IL, but more information on that front should be available within the next few days. Matt Moore, who had been expected to move to the bullpen, will instead pick up another spot start Thursday with Eflin unavailable.

AUGUST 26, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Activated prior to start Eflin (kneecap) was reinstated from the 10-day injured list ahead of Thursday's start against the Diamondbacks.

Impact Eflin missed over a month due to right patella tendonitis, but he made a rehab appearance at Double-A Reading on Saturday and tossed 2.1 scoreless innings. The right-hander will likely have his workload monitored Thursday following his brief rehab assignment.

AUGUST 26, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Rejoining rotation Thursday Manager Joe Girardi said Eflin (kneecap) will be activated from the injured list to start Thursday against the Diamondbacks, Matt Breen of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Impact Eflin covered 2.1 frames in a rehab start with Double-A Reading on Saturday, and it will be his lone rehab appearance before returning to the big-league rotation. The 27-year-old has been sidelined over a month with patellar tendinitis, and he figures to have some workload limitations in his first start back given the brevity of the rehab stint.

AUGUST 25, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Scheduled for rehab start Eflin (kneecap) will begin a rehab assignment with Double-A Reading on Saturday, Scott Lauber of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Impact Eflin has missed over a month with patellar tendinitis, but it looks as though the Phillies can expect him back for the stretch run. He could be back in late August or early September, depending on how many rehab starts he's asked to make.

AUGUST 19, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Faces hitters Eflin (kneecap) completed a 28-pitch live batting practice session Sunday, Matt Breen of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Impact After throwing a pair of bullpen sessions earlier in the week, Eflin took the next step forward in his recovery from right patella tendinitis by facing hitters. The Phillies will presumably check back in with Eflin on Monday before deciding whether to send him out on a minor-league rehab assignment or to keep him around the big club and have him build up his pitch count through simulated games. Whenever he's reinstated, Eflin will likely bump Matt Moore from the Philadelphia rotation.

AUGUST 16, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Throws another bullpen session Eflin (knee) went through another bullpen session Thursday, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports.

Impact Eflin threw 38 pitches Thursday, just three days after his previous session Monday. He didn't feel good after his sessions back in late July but feels better now, though his exact return date remains unclear.

AUGUST 12, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Phillies will piece together pitching puzzle as they wait for Zach Eflin: On Matt Moore and the remaining arms The Phillies are optimistic about Eflin's recovery from right knee tendinitis, but he could be weeks away. What will they do until then?

AUGUST 12, 2021 • THEATHLETIC.COM

Throws bullpen session Manager Joe Girardi said that Eflin (knee) threw a light bullpen session Monday, Scott Lauber of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Impact Eflin last threw a bullpen July 25, but he did not come out of the session feeling well. His return to mound work is a positive step in the right direction, but the right-hander still remains without a concrete return timeline. With that in mind, Eflin could have an outside chance of rejoining the Phillies' rotation by the end of August, though a September activation appears more likely at this point.

AUGUST 10, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Won't return this week Eflin (knee) didn't come out of Sunday's bullpen session as the Phillies hoped and won't rejoin the rotation this week, Matt Gelb of The Athletic reports.

Impact The right-hander was in in consideration to return from the injured list during the back half of the week, but he's apparently still having some issues after Sunday's bullpen. Eflin landed on the shelf with right patella tendinitis after his last start July 16, and his absence will extend into early August, at least.

JULY 26, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Struggling Nola unable to contain Yanks NEW YORK -- Joe Girardi sounded surprisingly unconcerned Tuesday when he talked about the knee injury that sidelined Zach Eflin. Girardi exp...

JULY 21, 2021 • MLB.COM

Lands on injured list Eflin was placed on the 10-day injured list Tuesday with right patella tendonitis, Matt Breen of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Impact Eflin had surgery in 2016 to repair both patella tendons, so there figures to be a strong chance that the injury is related to those past issues. The Phillies aren't particularly concerned with the injury despite Eflin's history of knee troubles, but it's evidently enough of an issue for him to miss at least a turn or two in the rotation. The Phillies will go with a bullpen day in his place Wednesday against Atlanta. Eflin's move to the injured list can be backdated to Saturday, which leaves him eligible to be activated July 28.

JULY 20, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Hit hard in loss Eflin (4-7) allowed six runs (five earned) on six hits and two walks while striking out five over 3.2 innings as he took the loss to the Marlins in the second game of Friday's doub...

Impact Eflin went into the All-Star break with three straight quality starts but could not replicate that in Friday's outing. Starling Marte did most of the damage against him. He swatted a two-run homer in the first and then plated another run in the fourth before eventually coming home on a three-run blast from Jesus Aguilar. Eflin still remains an intriguing option due to his ability to log 6+ innings and the fact that he doesn't allow many walks. The 27-year-old owns a 4.17 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and 99:16 K:BB over 105.2 innings and is set up to face the Braves at home next week.

JULY 17, 2021 • ROTOWIRE