Phillies will ‘be very careful’ with Zach Eflin (knee); no timetable for his return
Eflin received a cortisone shot and will have five days of inactivity before being reevaluated this weekend.
Phillies interim manager Rob Thomson said Thursday that pitcher Zach Eflin, out with a right knee bruise, received a cortisone shot and will have five days of inactivity before being reevaluated by the team Saturday or Sunday.
There is still no official timetable for the return of Eflin, who was placed on the 15-day injured list on Tuesday. Thomson said Tuesday that Eflin would miss at least two starts. When asked how confident he is that Eflin would be able to make his next start, Thomson said “there’s really still no timeline because we haven’t done anything yet. I think the plan is good: inactivity until this thing clears out and then see where he’s at.”
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Because of Eflin’s lengthy history of knee injuries, the Phillies are being extra cautious not to rush him, despite their lack of starting pitching depth.
“We just want make sure he’s right, because when he’s right, he’s pretty good for us,” Thomson said. “Obviously, he’s in our rotation, he’s one of our top guys. We’ll be very careful.”
Left-hander Bailey Falter was in the Phillies clubhouse on Thursday but had not been added to the active roster yet.
Being patient with Castellanos
Entering Thursday’s series finale against the Braves, right fielder Nick Castellanos was batting .207/.207/.207 over his last seven games. Thomson said there are no plans for now to give Castellanos a day off.
“You talk to him every day, and he feels fresh,” Thomson said. “He feels like his swing’s coming, and he wants to keep battling. With all my conversations with him, he wants to go.”
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There are no imminent plans to change Castellanos’ spot in the lineup, either. He was penciled in the three-hole entering Thursday’s game.
“At any moment, he could just break out,” Thomson said. “You kind of want to keep him up at the top of the lineup if you can, just in case that happens.”
Update on Maton
Thomson said infielder Nick Maton (right shoulder strain) is doing full workouts now. The Phillies have to do some tests to make sure he can slide, but once they do that, he’ll be ready to go on a rehab assignment.