Phillies move Zach Eflin to the bullpen to make room for Jason Vargas

Zach Eflin said Tuesday that he still believes he is a starting pitcher, but he learned earlier in the day that he was moving to the bullpen as the Phillies bumped the righthander from the rotation to make room for Jason Vargas.

“It's ultimately not my decision. If I don't like it, I should pitch better,” said Eflin, who had a 10.46 ERA in his last six starts. “I hadn't really been doing my job. Going to the bullpen is another opportunity for me. It's a challenge. I'm a fan of challenges. Go down there and be the best version of myself I can be.”

Vargas will start for the Phillies on Friday night against the White Sox after he was acquired Monday in a trade with the Mets. Manager Gabe Kapler said Eflin would be available out of relief on Monday night, but the initial plan seems to be using Eflin in a “piggyback” role on games started by Vince Velasquez and Jake Arrieta, both of whom have struggled to go deep into games.

Arrieta continues to be troubled by a bone spur in his elbow and Velasquez has not reached the sixth inning in five of his last six starts. A combination of Arrieta or Velasquez and Eflin could give the Phillies their best chance at seven or eight innings and giving their bullpen a rest.

“It’s a possibility,” Kapler said. “One of the things that we’re potentially excited about is seeing Eflin in a role where he could take down several righties in a row and utilize his good fastball/slider combination among his other offerings to be effective out of the 'pen.”

The Phillies opted against signing a free-agent pitcher this offseason as they believed that Eflin, Velasquez, Nick Pivetta, and Jerad Eickhoff would continue to develop. Instead, all four struggled enough to be moved to the bullpen and have a combined 5.00 ERA this season as starters.

Eickhoff is on the injured list and Velasquez is back in the rotation after being bumped twice to the bullpen. Drew Smyly replaced Pivetta in the rotation and Vargas replaced Eflin. . The starters the Phillies trusted this winter were not bumped by marquee additions, but instead veterans acquired at little cost.

“It’s not my decision,” Eflin said. “As much as I have an opinion of saying what I want to say ... I voiced that opinion, saying I still believe I’m a starter. It’s definitely not the end of the road for me being a starter. It’s just an opportunity for me to come out of the bullpen and help the team win.”

Velasquez will start Wednesday night against righthander Jeff Samardzija. ... There seems to be increasing doubt that David Robertson will pitch this season as he continues to rehab his elbow injury. “He continues to progress in his rehab at a slower rate than we had hoped," general manager Matt Klentak said. "There have been good days and there have been discouraging days, and obviously the pace of it overall has been fairly discouraging. Nobody has given up hope yet, but obviously his timeline has been backed up. ... Initially we had projected a July return and it’s fair to say that’s not going to happen. ... He may return sometime in August, but with each passing day it’s becoming less and less encouraging.”