Orioles face worst case scenario with latest injury scare

There must be something in the water in Baltimore, and anyone who’s seen the water in Baltimore knows that it’s nothing good. The injuries to Baltimore Orioles players over the last few seasons have been nothing less than catastrophic. Position players have been dinged up but nothing outside the norm. The pitching staff, on the other hand, has been shredded. 

O’s fans have had to watch star pitchers like Felix Bautista, Kyle Bradish and Grayson Rodriguez miss significant time. Other key arms like Tyler Wells and Danny Coulombe went down last season. Another name potentially being added to that list is Zach Eflin, the acting ace on the team in 2025. 

There was some debate about who would be the Orioles’ Opening Day starter until Rodriguez went down with another injury in spring training. Eflin stepped in and pitched very well to jump start the season for the Birds. He threw 78 pitches (49 strikes) in 6.0 innings and allowed two runs on two hits to pick up the win. 

Being pulled from the Opening Day game after just 78 pitches didn’t raise any suspicions since pitchers tend to take longer to build up the strength and endurance needed to throw more pitches in a game. These days many starters are lifted from their first game or two of the season a bit early to help prevent stress related injuries. 

Orioles' ace Zach Eflin goes down with potentially troubling shoulder injury

Eflin got hit around a bit in his second start of the season against Boston allowing three runs on eight hits over another 6.0 innings. He pounded the strike zone, throwing 60 of his 87 pitches for strikes while striking out five hitters. Eflin averaged approximately 87 pitches per start last season so it was good to see him hitting that number in his second outing. 

Start three was more of the same for Eflin, as he had his third quality start in as many outings to begin the season, but something was off. He was efficient, getting through 6.0 in just 73 pitches, but the swing and miss stuff wasn’t there. Fans were confused when Brandon Hyde pulled Eflin after only 73 pitches, but most just chalked it up to Hyde being Hyde. 

After the game it was announced the Eflin was experiencing shoulder fatigue and was removed for precautionary reasons. Orioles insider Matt Weyrich reported that Eflin will have “further tests done”, likely an MRI and x-rays, to determine the extent of any injury. It is also possible that Eflin is just experiencing normal fatigue and may just need a little extra rest. There is little information available as of right now and we won’t know more until the tests are done. Until then, O’s fans can only keep their fingers crossed that it’s nothing serious.