Phillies pitchers Zach Eflin and Seranthony Domínguez to start rehab assignments

Phillies interim manager Rob Thomson said simulated games for pitchers Zach Eflin and Seranthony Domínguez on Tuesday went well and they will start their rehab appearances in the coming days. Domínguez will start his rehab assignment in triple-A Lehigh Valley on Thursday. He will throw one inning. Eflin will start a bullpen game in Lehigh Valley on Friday, but the Phillies did not say how long he would pitch. The Phillies will reassess both pitchers after their outings.

Both pitchers are on the 15-day injured list. Eflin is coming back from a right knee bruise and Domínguez has been out with right triceps tendinitis.

» READ MORE: Why Zach Eflin and Griff McGarry are the X factors for the Phillies’ shorthanded pitching staff

Eflin, who was part of the starting rotation before he was injured while fielding a ground ball on June 25, is likely to rejoin the Phillies out of the bullpen. He doesn’t have much experience as a reliever — only five games worth in a seven-year career — but Thomson isn’t concerned.

“Well, he’s really good as a starter,” Thomson said on Wednesday. “He’s not going to be lengthened out, but he’s going to be able to give us two or three innings in a stint. So that gives us some options to either work him out of the bullpen, or open, piggyback, it’ll be good to get him back.”

The Phillies are unsure of how many rehab appearances Eflin will need, but Thomson said it could be as few as one. If that’s the case, Eflin could be with the big club a few days later — which would be a big help to the Phillies, given the state of their pitching.

With the Phillies’ starters struggling to go deep into games, the bullpen has been used more, and without Domínguez and reliever Corey Knebel, who is out for the season with a tear in his right shoulder capsule, that wear and tear is starting to show. David Robertson has had to shoulder a lot of the workload and his velocity dipped in his outing on Tuesday night. Brad Hand, who gave up just one earned run in 13 appearances from July 8 to Aug. 26, has given up one earned run in each of his last three appearances.

Phillies pitchers combined for a 4.03 ERA in August and 6.42 so far in September. The addition of Eflin will be helpful, and the ability to use him in multiple spots only makes him more of an asset.

Domínguez’s return will give the Phillies another shutdown, late-inning arm to take some of the pressure off Robertson. Before Domínguez got injured, Thomson essentially had two closers at his disposal. Domínguez has a 1.64 ERA in 44 innings this season.

The return of Eflin and Domínguez could even have an impact on the Phillies’ offense. In late July, Rhys Hoskins said there was comfort in knowing the relievers could hold on to a lead if the lineup gave one to them.

“There’s definitely fight in this group,” he said. “And I think there’s a little extra confidence in the dugout because we know how well the guys in the bullpen are throwing the ball. That if we can keep it close, they’re going to keep it close. If we can take the lead, we’ve got a chance to win the game.”

Right-handed pitcher Zack Wheeler, who is on the 15-day injured list with right forearm tendinitis, threw out to 75 feet. He’ll throw out to 90 feet on Thursday. The Phillies are hopeful he’ll be able to throw a bullpen session this weekend.

After going 2-for-2 on Tuesday night with a home run, Edmundo Sosa was back in the lineup at shortstop instead of Bryson Stott. Thomson said Stott is healthy, but he just wanted to reward Sosa for a good performance. Stott will be back in the lineup on Thursday night.