Zach Eflin Will Make Scheduled Start For Tampa Bay Rays Following Injury Scare

After leaving his most recent start with a knee injury, Eflin will remain in the Rays' rotation and face down the New York Yankees on Tuesday.

Tampa Bay Rays right-hander Zach Eflin will make his scheduled start against the New York Yankees on Tuesday, the 29-year old told reporters Sunday.

Eflin last took the mound on July 26 against the Miami Marlins. After getting lit up for five earned runs in 4.0 innings, Eflin left with a left knee injury and underwent an MRI.

Over the weekend, Eflin threw a 25-pitch bullpen session to test out his knee. Per the Tampa Bay Times' Marc Topkin, Eflin is expected to move forward without any limitations or changes to his workload.

Eflin went 36-45 with a 4.49 ERA and 1.295 WHIP across seven years with the Philadelphia Phillies, which included knee surgeries in 2016 and 2021. The Rays signed Eflin to a three-year, $40 million deal this past winter, and he has put up career numbers in his first season in Tampa Bay.

Boasting an 11-6 record, 3.64 ERA and 1.023 WHIP, Eflin has slotted himself right alongside All-Star lefty Shane McClanahan as one of the Rays' top two arms. Tampa Bay is 29-11 when one of them starts, compared to 35-33 when someone else does.

The Rays are already without Drew Rasmussen and Jeffrey Springs, who combined for a 2.08 ERA in their 11 starts before both hitting the 60-day injured list and getting ruled out for the year.

Holding onto Eflin as the playoff race heats up is key for Tampa Bay, which has recently fallen out of first place in the AL East. However, the Rays still own the top AL Wildcard spot, and they have a 6.5-game cushion over the cutoff line as July winds down.

Eflin avoiding the injured list could prevent the Rays from making a desperation play for a starter at the MLB trade deadline, but they are still rumored to be in the market for another one. The deadline is set for Tuesday at 6 p.m. ET.

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