The Phillies lost another pitcher to injury on Tuesday when they placed right-hander Zach Eflin on the disabled list because of patellar tendinopathy in both his knees.
Eflin allowed seven earned runs Monday night in three innings against the Dodgers and said afterward that "there's a little soreness" in his knees. The pitcher looked to be affected by the knees when he was running the bases, but manager Pete Mackanin said he did not remove the pitcher because of that.
Patellar tendinopathy, commonly referred to as patellar tendinitis, is an injury to the tendon that connects the kneecap to the shinbone and often stems from overuse. It also is known as "jumper's knee."
"I've kind of gone through it every single season," Eflin said. "It's more of a thing where sometimes it's a little worse; sometimes it's better than other days. You kind of wake up and see how you feel."
Monday was Eflin's third rough start since he threw a shutout on July 22 against Pittsburgh. The 22-year-old has a 13.85 ERA in his last three starts. Eflin's injury comes less than a week since the Phillies placed Aaron Nola on the disabled list with a right elbow strain.
Eflin will likely be replaced in the starting rotation by Adam Morgan or David Buchanan, both of whom have pitched well lately at Triple-A Lehigh Valley.
