Phillies’ pitching depth will be tested after Zach Eflin hits 15-day IL with knee bruise

Other than Bryce Harper breaking his thumb — and maybe even including that — the Phillies can least afford to lose any of their five starting pitchers.

It wouldn’t have been an overreaction, then, to set off an alarm Tuesday over Zach Eflin going on the 15-day injured list.

Eflin has what he and the Phillies describe as a bruise on the “fat pad” under the kneecap of his surgically repaired right knee. He pitched through it in his last two scheduled starts but had difficulty pushing off his back leg.

As he put it Tuesday, it’s been “pretty tough to deliver a pitch.”

So, rather than continuing to send Eflin to the mound, the Phillies will back off and test their thin pitching depth. Left-hander Bailey Falter will be called up from triple A to take Eflin’s turn in the rotation beginning Friday night against the St. Louis Cardinals.

Eflin, who was scheduled to see a doctor before Tuesday night’s series opener against the Atlanta Braves, will take about five days off and miss at least two starts. The Phillies haven’t put a timetable on his return. But based on interim manager Rob Thomson’s comments, it wouldn’t be a surprise if it’s longer than 15 days.

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“Once the pain is gone, then we’ll start ramping him back up, ” Thomson said. “Who knows how long that pain will take to get out of there? But once we get him back up on the mound, then we’ve got to do PFP [pitcher fielding practice], we’ve got to cover first base, do bunt plays, things like that, just to make sure we’re not going to have a reoccurring injury.”

If this sounds familiar, it’s because Eflin has dealt with knee problems throughout his career. He underwent surgery on both knees in 2016 and had the patellar tendon in his right knee repaired last September.

Eflin said the knee pain “felt different this time.” It came on after he twisted awkwardly to make a barehanded play on a tapper to the right of the mound on June 9 in Milwaukee.

Doctors didn’t find structural damage to Eflin’s knee, so he started June 19 in Washington and last Saturday night in San Diego, lasting two innings (38 pitches) and five innings (80 pitches), respectively. Eflin conceded after both games that he was compromised. He said his knee “didn’t feel great” in the fifth inning in San Diego.

An MRI exam this week didn’t reveal additional damage to the knee, according to Eflin, who said only the same bruise was present.

Does Eflin regret making his last two starts?

“I don’t really have time to question my competitiveness, honestly,” he said. “I like what I did. I’ll never really turn away from the ball.”

In that case, the Phillies are taking it from him. Eflin, who has a $15 million mutual option for next season, has a 4.37 ERA in 13 starts. Falter has a 4.26 ERA three spot starts. But there are few options in triple A beyond Falter and lefty Cristopher Sánchez.

The Phillies and powerhouse Yankees are the only teams with five starters who have made at least 13 starts apiece. And it’s imperative that they get Eflin healthy and back on the mound.

“Right now, every fifth day, pretty much in the second inning, it’ll come back,” Eflin said of the knee pain. “Pretty optimistic that taking a couple extra days off and maybe missing a start or two is going to clean it right up so I can be good and healthy for the rest of the way.”

Newly acquired outfielder Óscar Mercado joined the team and took Eflin’s spot on the active roster. The Phillies claimed Mercado off waivers after he batted .202 with four homers and a .604 OPS in 114 at-bats for the Cleveland Guardians.

Mercado, the first Phillies player to wear No. 35 since Cole Hamels was traded in 2015, instantly becomes the team’s best defensive outfielder. Thomson said the Phillies liked his defense and speed on the bases and said he will work with hitting coach Kevin Long to try to regain a swing that produced 15 homers in 2019 but has struggled since.

“This might be a pretty good pickup for us,” Thomson said.

Mercado figures to play mostly against left-handed pitchers. With Harper out, the Phillies likely will mix and match in center field and right field. Odúbel Herrera and Mickey Moniak will play against right-handed pitchers, while Matt Vierling and Mercado will see time against lefties.

» READ MORE: Phillies to honor John Irvin Kennedy, their first African American player

Injured reliever Sam Coonrod (shoulder) joined the team to throw a bullpen session Wednesday and again Saturday under the supervision of the major-league staff. He could begin a rehab assignment next week. ... Lefty reliever JoJo Romero (elbow) had his minor-league rehab assignment transferred to double-A Reading. Fellow lefty Ryan Sherriff (shoulder) had his rehab assignment paused because he went into COVID-19 protocol. ... The Phillies will posthumously honor John Irvin Kennedy, their first African American player, before Wednesday night’s game. ... Ranger Suárez (6-4, 4.23 ERA) is scheduled to start Wednesday night against Braves right-hander Kyle Wright (8-4, 3.18).