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Phillies' Eflin out for season after knee surgery

Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports / Reuters

Philadelphia Phillies rookie right-hander Zach Eflin will miss the rest of the 2016 season after undergoing surgery Friday to repair the patella tendon in his right knee.

He was consequently placed on the 60-day disabled list, the club announced.

Eflin, who hasn't pitched since Aug. 8, needs surgery to deal with a chronic issue in both knees. The 22-year-old is set to have the same operation in his left knee in six-weeks time, provided recovery from the first goes according to plan. The club expects the young hurler to be ready for spring training in 2017.

"This is an issue he's been fighting since he was a kid," general manager Matt Klentak said Friday, according to PhillyVoice's Ryan Lawrence. "I think he told me since he was 11 years old, he first started battling knee problems. The hope here is that it's going to alleviate the problem. And that he's not going to have to deal with it."

Eflin pitched to a 5.54 ERA in his debut season, finishing 3-5 with two complete games and a shutout in 11 starts with Philadelphia.

He is now the second Phillies starter to be ruled out for the rest of the 2016, after Aaron Nola was shut down Wednesday following a UCL sprain in his right elbow.

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