Phillies right-hander Zach Eflin pitched the last few weeks with a fracture in his right foot that was not discovered until Friday and will likely be enough to shut down the rookie pitcher for the rest of the season.
The stress fracture was discovered when Eflin had an MRI on his knees. He was placed on the disabled list last week with tendinitis in both knees. Eflin said he had received treatment for the foot, not knowing it was fractured. He does not know how the injury occurred. Manager Pete Mackanin said, "It's unlikely that he will be back this year."
Eflin said he is staying optimistic.
"That's the only way you can think about it," Eflin said. "It's not ideal but we're going to hope that we get good results and go from there."
Eflin will be replaced in the rotation by Adam Morgan, who will start Sunday against Colorado. Morgan had a 2.76 ERA in five starts at triple A since being demoted from the majors.
Eflin was promoted in June and had a 5.54 ERA in 11 starts. He threw two complete games, including a three-hit shutout. The 22-year-old then struggled, registering a 13.85 ERA in his final three starts before being placed on the disabled list. He was the second young pitcher in a week to be put on the disabled list, joining Aaron Nola, who also seems unlikely to return this season.
It was evident in Eflin's last start Aug. 8 that his knees were troubling him. He said he has dealt with knee issues almost his whole career. And now it is known that he was pitching with a fractured foot.
"Obviously, I could pitch through it," Eflin said. "But it wasn't ideal."
