Six weeks after undergoing surgery to repair the patella tendon in his right knee, Phillies rookie Zach Eflin went under the knife again Friday.
As expected, Eflin had the same surgery - performed by Dr. Steve Cohen - done on his left knee.
According to the Phillies, Eflin will be immobilized for six weeks and is expected to make a full recovery.
Eflin, 22, has been dealing with knee problems since he was about 11 years old. The issues caused him to make just 11 starts in his rookie campaign.
“You know this is an issue he’s been fighting since he was a kid,” general manager Matt Klentak said on the day of Eflin’s first surgery in August. “I think he told me since he was 11 years old, he first started battling knee problems. The hope here is that it’s going to alleviate the problem. And that he’s not going to have to deal with it. And in just talking candidly with Zach last night, while not excited to undergo the knife today, he was pretty excited about the possibility of coming to spring training next year pain-free for the first time in his life.”
That is still the expectation.
Eflin finished his rookie year 3-5 with a 5.54 ERA in 63 ⅓ innings pitched. He was 5-2 with a 2.90 ERA in 68 ⅓ innings at Triple A Lehigh Valley.