Zach Eflin skips bullpen session because of soreness in knee

CLEARWATER, Fla. - This is a long spring, the longest spring, which incentivizes caution when it comes to the young Phillies pitchers in camp. Especially a young pitcher with two new knees.

So when Zach Eflin felt some soreness Friday in his right knee, he did not throw a bullpen session as scheduled. The 22-year-old righthander underwent surgery on both of his knees to correct chronic pain.

He is not alarmed by the recent soreness, although Eflin reported to camp saying his knees felt great.

"It's something you kind of expect postsurgery," Eflin said. "It's going to swell up on you. It's going to feel uncomfortable. It's just sticking to your rehab and making sure you get everything done. Once you hit that hump, it just doesn't come back. I just have to get to that point."

Eflin consulted with Steven Cohen, the team physician who performed the knee surgeries, and he found no structural problems. Cohen was in town last week for the players' physical examinations.

"We're being very cautious," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said.

Eflin said he expected to throw from a mound Monday. He first felt the soreness while running sprints Thursday. The former first-round pick had a 5.54 ERA in 11 starts as a rookie last season and projects to begin 2017 in triple-A Lehigh Valley's rotation.

Aaron Nola, coming back from an elbow injury, faced hitters in live batting practice. "To me, the test for him is going to be during the course of the season," Mackanin said. "I foresee him being healthy through the spring. My only concern is this thing returning at some point, which, hopefully, it won't." . . . Tommy Joseph put on a show during batting practice, to the delight of the few dozen fans in attendance at the Carpenter Complex. . . . The Phillies said they did not have results on an MRI performed on relief prospect Victor Arano's right elbow.