2 former Rays undergo season-ending surgery as injuries across the league pile up

The injuries, especially for pitchers, are piling up more and more each season. Although they are no longer on the Rays' roster, we feel a resentment towards these circumstances as they once wore the Tampa Bay blue. We can also understand the grave loss they will be for their respective clubs.

Zach Eflin

Eflin has been one of the most consistent starters in the league for the last six seasons, but it was a long road to get here. In 2012, the Padres drafted the right-handed hurler in the first round. His minor league career displayed many inconsistencies, and he bounced around to the Dodgers and Phillies' farm systems before finally making his MLB debut with Philadelphia in 2022.

The Florida native's MLB career started pretty slow and rocky as he didn't produce a positive WAR until 2018 when he broke out with an 11-8 record through a full slate of 24 starts. The crafty pitcher never looked back. In seven seasons with the Phillies, he compiled a 7.0 WAR and 552 strikeouts. The Rays found their chance to snag Eflin out of free agency and it was one of the best decisions the front office has ever made.

Zach Eflin immediately became the Rays' ace in 2023, winning an AL-best 16 games and producing career highs in ERA (3.50), innings pitched (177.2), and strikeouts (186). His career seemed to be revitalized in a whole new way at the age of 29.

His Rays' tenure was rather short as the ace has now been a member of the Orioles since the middle of the 2024 season. The injury bug has unfortunately reached the Baltimore pitching staff as Eflin will be sidelined for the remainder of the season with the infamous Tommy John surgery. We wish him a speedy recovery and can't wait to see him back on the mound against the Rays.

Robert Stephenson

Another former Rays' pitcher, Robert Stephenson, will lose his 2026 season due to a season-ending elbow surgery. Stephenson has been a part of five different organizations, spending most of his time with the Cincinnati Reds from 2016-2020. The hard-throwing righty displayed many flaws as a Red, finishing his tenure with a -0.5 WAR and a 5.15 ERA.

The Rays took a chance on the 30-year-old reliever in 2023, and he produced the best season of his career. In 38.1 frames, "Bob" Stephenson went 3-1 with a career-best 2.35 ERA and 60 strikeouts. That absurd total equaled nearly two strikeouts per inning during his short stint in Tampa Bay. It is very unfortunate to see Stephenson sidelined for the entirety of the 2026 season as his career was in the midst of a revival.

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