Former Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Zach Eflin underwent Tommy John surgery for a torn ulnar collateral (UCL) ligament in his right arm.
Eflin made two starts this season for the Baltimore Orioles, where he re-signed earlier in the offseason.
The former Phillies right-hander is no stranger to the injured list, spending a lot of time for various ailments across his big league career.
At 32 years old, Eflin likely will not take the mound at the big league level again until late 2027. With an impending lockout between Major League Baseball and the Players' Association, combined with being a free agent at season's end, Eflin's future in baseball is cloudy.
On December 19, 2014, the Philadelphia Phillies sent all-time great Jimmy Rollins to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
This move was one of the many that saw legends from the 2008 World Series champions exit Philadelphia in favor of younger prospects.
In the deal for Rollins, the Phillies added Eflin, who would play a key role in the 2022 Phillies' run to the World Series.
The Rollins trade piece started 115 games for the Phillies across his tenure, pitching to a 4.49 earned run average in 659.1 innings pitched.
His best season in a Phillies uniform came in 2019, when Eflin made 28 starts for Philadelphia. That year, he pitched to a 4.13 earned run average and, at the time, a career-high 163.1 innings pitched.
In 2022, Eflin missed the majority of the season. He would return to the Phillies late in the year.
Since he would not have enough time to rebuild his stamina to start games, the Phillies opted to move Eflin to the bullpen, where he became the team's de facto closer for several weeks. He tossed 10 games in relief during the 2022 playoffs, finishing five and earning one playoff save.
Eflin would pitch for Philadelphia from 2016 to 2022 before moving on in free agency.
The veteran right-hander has spent time with the Phillies, Tampa Bay Rays, and, recently, the Orioles.
