BRADENTON, Fla. -- Right-handed pitcher Jerad Eickhoff was optioned to Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Saturday as the Phillies inched closer to finalizing their Opening Day roster.

The 28-year-old pitched in three games this spring, allowing four runs over nine total innings of work, striking out 12. Eickhoff had started camp a bit behind schedule due to a complication in his recovery from a carpal tunnel surgery, but overall, he looked strong.

Both Eickhoff and the team surely hope the three runs he gave up in two innings against Tampa Bay on March 11 were an anomaly considering how well he pitched in the latter two games, concluding with a six-strikeout performance in four innings on Friday against the New York Yankees.

With the move, the Phillies seemingly have their rotation in place: Aaron Nola, Jake Arrieta, Nick Pivetta, Zach Eflin and Vince Velasquez. That’s not to say that Eickhoff won’t be a contributor in 2019. Injuries are always bound to happen, and Eickhoff will certainly be in the mix to toe the rubber in Philadelphia if and when the need arises.

After missing most of 2018 with a finger issue, Eickhoff was hoping to return to his 2016 form, when he went 11-14 with a 3.65 ERA and 167 strikeouts in 197 1/3 innings.

Eflin completes final spring tune up

Zach Eflin's spring wrapped up on Saturday after throwing nearly 90 pitches in a 5-3 loss against the Pirates in his final tune up for the regular season.

On paper, the right-hander surrendered two home runs, allowing four total runs. But as is often the case in spring exhibition games, the box score didn’t tell the whole story, as it’s arguable two of the runs shouldn’t have been there.

That’s because Corey Dickerson made good contact on a 2-2 offering in the bottom of the third and sent it deep to right field. The ball appeared to go right of the foul pole -- where it also landed in the basket -- but was still called a home run, plating two.

Eflin said that it appeared “100 percent” to have gone foul, but he acknowledged that he left the pitch hanging, allowing it to get struck well.

“It shouldn’t have even had an opportunity to go fair or foul,” Eflin said. “Curveball that I just gotta keep it down. That’s the reason we have Spring Training is to lock in those pitches. It’s not going to miss in the season.”

Eflin would go on to pitch 5 1/3 innings on the day, striking out six, allowing five hits while not walking anybody. As a whole this spring, Eflin pitched to a 3.54 ERA over 20 1/3 innings, and he’s eager to get the season started.

“I feel good, I feel healthy and I’m very happy with how spring training is going,” Eflin said.

Looking ahead, it appears that Eflin could be lining up to pitch the fourth game of the season, on the road against the Nationals on April 2. For obvious reasons, there’s expected to be plenty of attention on that game.

After seeing Eflin pitch to a solid 11-8 record in 2018 when he dominated at times, Kapler has high expectations for the 24-year-old.

“I remember the conversations for pitcher of the month in June, that’s the kind of upside we see for Zach,” Kapler said, referencing a stellar month in which Eflin won all five games he started and had a 1.76 ERA. “He’s a pretty durable guy in that role.”

Arano's role still unclear

Philadelphia is still deciding how reliever Vìctor Arano will be used in 2019 and with Opening Day quickly approaching, those decisions must be made soon.

On one hand, the right-hander pitched very well for the Phillies last season. In 59 1/3 innings, he struck out 60, walked just 17 batters and carried a 2.73 ERA as a dependable arm in the bullpen.

On the other hand, this spring has been one that Arano would like to forget. He’s surrendered at least a run in each of his seven outings, leaving his ERA at 45.00, with just one strikeout.

In Saturday’s outing, Arano allowed a one-out walk, threw a wild pitch that allowed the runner to advance to second and then gave up an RBI single to Lonnie Chisenhall.

“I think he’s absolutely fine from a physical perspective ... but today, the ball didn’t come out great,” Kapler said. “It’s worth having a conversation with him and discussing what he needs to get back on track. At this point, he hasn’t been very effective and I think he knows.”

For his part, Arano agreed, adding that the ball was coming off his fingers incorrectly, particularly with his slider.

“When I throw a slider, it’s about how you grab a ball, so the release point is what I’m really focused on right now,” Arano said through an interpreter. “I just want to make sure I release the ball [at] exactly the release point I want. ... I’m not worried about it, but I’m concerned I haven’t been able to identify where that release point is.”

Kapler said that without an indication that Arano is feeling confident, the team will continue to monitor and determine how best to utilize him.

“You can discount one or two outings, but it’s hard to discount five or six outings consecutively,” Kapler said.

Up next

Philadelphia will return to Spectrum Field in Clearwater for a 1:05 p.m. ET bout against Baltimore, which will be splitting its squad. Left-hander Cole Irvin, the team’s No. 16 prospect, will take the mound for the Phillies, looking to improve upon the 4.26 ERA he has compiled in 6 1/3 innings this spring.