Orioles are facing injury déjà vu at most vulnerable area of their roster

If there is one area of the Baltimore Orioles roster where they simply could not afford an injury, it is in their rotation. Losing a bullpen arm would be pretty bad, but they are also easier to replace and the Orioles have redundancy at many spots in the lineup. However, Baltimore did just enough to cover rotation innings last offseason, but they did not build much in the way of depth. That decision could prove costly with the latest injury to Zach Eflin.

Eflin has been through the wringer when it comes to injuries. Shoulder inflammation caused Eflin problems in 2024 and he needed back surgery in 2025, so bringing him back at all for 2026 was debatable at best. However, the Orioles did bring back Eflin and unfortunately, in his first start of the year, he exited the game in the fourth inning with what is being described as elbow discomfort.

Zach Eflin left his start early and now the Orioles may have some real regrets

It is important to note that we do not know the severity of Eflin's injury and if there is a time of year when teams are going to take precautions, it is going to be early in the season. However, that Eflin yanked that last pitch so badly and then walked off the field almost immediately afterwards is not a great sign.

If Eflin does miss significant time, it could allow Cade Povich or Brandon Young to use this as an opportunity to finally secure a more regular rotation spot. Neither pitcher has pitched well enough in MLB yet, but both have plenty of arm talent and the Orioles are slowly getting better at developing pitchers.

We'll know a little bit more after the game in terms of exactly what Eflin felt and how concerned Baltimore is. However, we may not get much more clarity until tomorrow or the next day as Eflin undergoes the inevitable further testing to see exactly what he is dealing with.