Phillies Call Up Pitching Prospect Zach Eflin to Start

On the day Vincent Velasquez is placed on the 15 day disabled list and Jimmy Rollins is designated for assignment by the Chicago White Sox, the key piece to the Rollins trade is getting the call up to Philadelphia. Zach Eflin, the Phillies #13 prospect, has received his major league call up and will be coming from Lehigh Valley to pitch in Toronto, a place he won’t have to bat due to the DH in an American League ballpark.

The Phillies confirmed the move on their Twitter account Friday evening.

Acquired with Tom Windle from the Los Angeles Dodgers, Zach Eflin has had a productive career in the Phillies farm system. In Triple-A Lehigh Valley this year Eflin has a 5-1 record with a 3.14 ERA.

At 22-years-old, Eflin is the third-youngest player in the International League.

After Velasquez injured his arm earlier in the week, Eflin quickly became the hot name people brought up as a possible replacement in the starting rotation. He was scratched from his start in Triple-A when Velasquez injured his arm and has been on ice until todays decision.

Phillies Director of Player Development Joe Jordan told reporters after Eflin was pulled that he was not injured and that the team “wanted to kick him back a few days.”

Velasquez was diagnosed with a strained bicep in his pitching arm and his status for the remainder of the season is not yet known. He has previously undergone Tommy John surgery while he was in the Astros organization.

Luis Garcia was also called up from Lehigh Valley. A corresponding move could be made by the major league club to accommodate Eflin’s spot on the roster. Garcia was a candidate to make the major league bullpen out of training camp, but was optioned to Lehigh Valley. He has pitched very well in 21 games, posting a 3-1 record with a 2.77 ERA.

This move comes during the MLB Draft where the Phillies had the first overall pick and selected Mickey Moniak, a high school outfielder from California.