Phillies starter Zach Eflin set to throw bullpen session but won’t return until after All-Star break

ST. LOUIS — Depending on the outcome of a bullpen session Sunday, Phillies starter Ranger Suárez could pitch July 16 in Miami, two weeks after going on the injured list with back spasm. Otherwise, he’s expected to be ready coming out of the All-Star break.

Zach Eflin’s return will follow a more deliberate timeline.

Eflin also will throw in the bullpen Sunday, his most rigorous activity since a June 29 cortisone shot in his surgically repaired right knee. But even if he isn’t bothered by the bruise that has pained him since early June, he won’t pitch before the All-Star break, according to interim manager Rob Thomson.

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“We’re going to hold him off,” Thomson said Saturday before the Phillies and Cardinals continued their series at Busch Stadium. “We’re going to be patient, knock this thing out completely, and get him back. I, personally, would like to see him see some hitters. He hasn’t been out all that long, but I’d like to see him see some hitters before he gets in a game for us.”

The Phillies could arrange the starting rotation however they choose after the All-Star break. But if Eflin will make at least one start in the minor leagues, it could mean they open the second half with Cristopher Sánchez or Bailey Falter in the rotation.

Falter took Eflin’s place and posted a 5.63 ERA in two spot starts. The Phillies optioned him to triple-A Lehigh Valley after Thursday’s game to add an extra reliever to the roster.

Sánchez has been filling in for Suárez. In his third career major league start, he blanked the Washington Nationals (without Juan Soto or Nelson Cruz in the lineup) for five innings last Tuesday night and is expected to come into Sunday’s game after an opener. Sánchez had been pitching well in triple A.

“The level of comfort that I have here and my self-confidence is incredible,” Sánchez said through a team translator. “I believe in myself.”

Starting rotation depth isn’t the Phillies’ strength. They could look to acquire a starter before the Aug. 2 trade deadline, but with the extra playoff spot in both leagues, it’s shaping up to be a seller’s market. And several potentially available pitchers are sidelined with injuries, including Oakland’s Frankie Montas and Cincinnati’s Tyler Mahle.

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It’s possible that Sánchez stays in the rotation through the break. Thomson said there’s an “outside chance” that Suárez will pitch against the Marlins, although the odds could improve after his bullpen session.

After a minor league rehab appearance Thursday, reliever Connor Brogdon felt “a little tightness in his forearm,” Thomson said.

The Phillies pushed back his next outing until Sunday for Lehigh Valley. He will pitch again in triple A Tuesday or Wednesday before possibly rejoining the Phillies next weekend in Miami.

Brogdon missed nearly two weeks after being sick with COVID-19.

Utility infielder Johan Camargo (right knee strain) could rejoin the Phillies on Tuesday in Toronto after playing back-to-back games this weekend in triple A. ... The Phillies intend to use a right-handed reliever to open Sunday’s game and face righty-swinging Cardinals sluggers Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado in the first inning. Right-hander Andre Pallante (2-4, 3.03 ERA) will start for St. Louis.