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Zach Eflin finally returns to Phillies in bullpen role

Zach Eflin was reinstated from the injured list on Monday. (Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire)

All the Phillies needed was to win one game against the eventual AL champion Tampa Bay Rays to snap the postseason drought and sneak into the tournament as a below .500 team. It was Game 60 of a strange 2020 campaign and Aaron Nola couldn’t get through the fourth inning. Héctor Neris also gave up two runs to conclude a poor two-month stretch.

With little to no reliable arms left in the historically awful bullpen, Zach Eflin entered the game as a long reliever. He allowed only one hit and walked one to at least give the Phillies a chance at completing an improbable comeback. He hit 96 with his fastball. More importantly, he looked like the only player on the roster who was ready to step up in a big game.

Eflin’s last stint in the bullpen before that came in the middle of 2019 when he wasn’t good enough to be in the rotation. Almost two years since his last bullpen outing, Eflin will return to the Phillies pitching staff as a reliever on Tuesday. He was reinstated from the 60-day injured list on Monday. Mark Appel (right elbow inflammation) was recalled and placed on the 60-day injured list and Cristopher Sánchez was optioned to Lehigh Valley to make room for Eflin on both the 40-man and 28-man rosters.

He’ll have a lot to play for. Unlike 2020, the Phillies find themselves in a legit playoff race. The team would prefer not to throw him into the fire immediately, but he could pitch his way into big spots. He’ll almost certainly become a free agent this season. The motivation to finish out what could be the end of his tenure in Philadelphia is definitely there.

“It means the world to me,” Eflin told Scott Franzke on Tuesday. “The fact that I’m coming back and being able to pitch this season, I feel good about it. … We’re finally in a position as a team that we haven’t really been in the past seven seasons and my goal the whole year was to be a part of it as long as I can. It took three months away from me, but I’m back and pitching the ball healthy.”

The Phillies have not publicly committed to a role for Eflin. He could pitch one or two innings at the beginning of the game as an “opener.” He could be a one or two-inning bridge reliever like Nick Nelson. He could also be paired up with a starter — particularly a lefty — in a piggyback situation. Maybe Eflin is good enough to be a setup man by the time the playoffs come around.

“We’ll make sure he gets a clean inning the first couple of times out before we put him in to kind of a dirty inning where runners are on base,” Rob Thomson told Franzke. “I really feel good about it because I love Zach. I love his competitive nature. He does have a really slow heartbeat and he’s going to help that bullpen.”

He has not pitched since June 25. He suffered what the Phillies called “a right knee bruise” after making a fielding play against the Brewers on June 9. A couple weeks after being placed on the IL, Eflin tried to throw to hitters in Miami in an attempt to return to the club after the All-Star break, but he was shut down after experiencing some soreness. Another attempt to throw off the mound did not go well in early August.

It was assumed he was lost for the year until he wasn’t. He threw a bullpen during the west coast trip and his knee held up during a pitcher fielding practice session last week. After one rehab outing in Lehigh Valley on Friday, the Phillies feel comfortable giving him a chance to contribute during the club’s final 21 games and counting.

Persistent knee issues have kept Eflin from having the kind of career he envisioned. After a strong ending to the 2020 season, he was touted as the team’s “1-C.” He pitched to a 4.17 ERA in 18 starts in 2021 before having to undergo season-ending knee surgery that September. His absence crushed a Phillies rotation that was already short of viable options. Instead of replacing him, the team went with a bullpen game every fifth day.

The story around Eflin is a little different this time around. There are little to no expectations surrounding his return. Frankly, anything they can get from him is icing on the cake. It could either end as a great comeback story or a great comeback attempt.

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Here are the lineups for Tuesday’s series opener against the Marlins

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