Orioles face nightmare scenario with latest Zach Eflin update

Orioles fans knew that this would be a challenging year. After the team opted against signing one of the big-name free agent pitchers, the O's came into the year with Grayson Rodriguez and Zach Eflin atop the rotation. Rodriguez went down early, suffering triceps soreness during spring training and going onto the IL on Opening Day. We're still unclear when we'll see him return to action, but it's doubly troubling considering that he missed the last two months of 2024 with a severe lat strain.

Unfortunately for Orioles fans, a very similar problem has now cropped up with Eflin. The righty left his start on Monday night a bit early, throwing just 73 pitches. At the time, it was being reported that Eflin was experiencing shoulder fatigue and that he'd need further testing to determine the cause of the issue.

Now, we have updated information. Brandon Hyde announced late Tuesday night that Eflin will be heading to the IL thanks to what's being called a low-grade lat strain. Eflin did miss some time last August with shoulder inflammation, spending the minimum 15 days on the IL before returning and having a great second half.

It's unclear how long Eflin will be out. Hyde did mention that Eflin would be shut down from any throwing programs for at least a week. It's possible that Eflin's trip to the IL is a short one, but it doesn't feel prudent to bank on a quick return. After all, when Rodriguez went down with a lat strain last year, he wound up missing 58 days.

Orioles' rotation is falling apart less than two weeks into the year

With both of their top two starters in the rotation now on the IL, things are looking bleak for the Orioles. As it stands, the rotation consists of Charlie Morton, Tomoyuki Sugano, Dean Kremer, and Cade Povich. Morton got hit hard again last night in Arizona, though he cut his ERA to 8.78 on the year. Povich has had some bad luck on contact and should turn it around and Sugano has looked good in limited time, but Kremer has struggled.

Beyond that, things get worse. The entire group of Kyle Bradish, Tyler Wells, Albert Suarez, Chayce McDermott, and Tyler Rogers are all on the IL, and none of them are expected to return in the near future. Kyle Gibson, brought in as a depth signing late in the offseason, is scheduled to make his first start of the spring on Thursday. He isn't yet ready to join the major league club.

As of today, the only real options for the Orioles are to call up one of Brandon Young or Cody Poteet. Young has looked good this spring and is a potential breakout candidate, but he's yet to make his major league debut and is still a question mark. Poteet is a 30 year old who has thrown just 83 major league innings in his career. It's possible that the Orioles could find a way to add Roansy Contreras to the 40-man and call him up to Baltimore, but he'd be a less inspiring choice than either Young or Poteet.

It's also possible that the Orioles just recall a reliever, maybe one of Kade Strowd or Colin Selby. They have Thursday off and could go with Kremer tonight, Sugano on Friday, Povich on Saturday, and Morton on regular rest on Sunday. They then have Monday the 14th off, and could theoretically run with that group of four on regular rest until next Saturday the 19th.

Regardless of the path they take, things are bad for the Orioles' rotation right now. This team desperately needs some help, as the front office's decisions this past winter are looking like they're going to haunt us for a while.