Orioles may have surprising simple fix for six-man rotation mess

While the Baltimore Orioles certainly have promise in their starting rotation entering the 2026 season, there are a ton of question marks as well. While a six-man rotation seems like a possibility, the Orioles could opt for a surprisingly simple move, which would remove the need for an unorthodox rotation.

Zach Eflin has made just two appearances in spring training thus far. He looked really good in his first outing on March 5th, as he allowed no runs and just one hit and one walk in two innings of work while striking out three batters.

Then on Sunday night against the New York Yankees, he looked strong again, retiring the first six batters of the game, four of them by strikeout.

Despite this, the Orioles might be smart to start the veteran on the 15-day injured list to start the season so he can build up his arm strength a little more.

Orioles should put Eflin on IL to begin the season

Eflin has not thrown enough pitches for the Orioles to trust him to be ready by Opening Day. Trying to rush him would not be wise, as he is coming off a back injury. Caution is the best strategy early in the season, so there is no reason to try to push it with him and risk further injury.

The Orioles knew they were taking a bit of a gamble by bringing Eflin back after a tough, injury-shortened 2025 campaign in which he had a 5.93 ERA in 14 starts. He has a solid track record, though, and was excellent in his nine starts with Baltimore back in 2024.

Perhaps the Orioles could let Eflin be part of the rotation to start the season, but have him on a strict pitch count. Maybe he could go for three innings or so and then be relieved by Albert Suarez or Dietrich Enns.

Still, the Orioles would probably be wise to play it safe. Their rotation is built on depth, as a lot of the guys in the rotation are coming off injury issues or have struggled to be consistent on the mound.

If that means losing Eflin for the first few weeks of the season as he builds up his arm strength to where it needs to be, then so be it. That is much more preferable than allowing him to start the year when he is not ready and having him hurt himself.