Zach Eflin Exits Start With Lower Back Tightness

Orioles right-hander Zach Eflin left his start this afternoon after just one inning due to what Baltimore later announced as lower back tightness. After the game, manager Tony Mansolino spoke to reporters (including Jake Rill of MLB.com) and revealed that Eflin had actually felt the tightness during his pregame bullpen session, but that he thought he could pitch through it. As noted by Matt Weyrich of the Baltimore Sun, Eflin wanted to go back out for a second inning after surrendering four runs in the first on 28 pitches, but the team’s coaches pulled him from the game. Mansolino added that the club is not yet certain whether or not Eflin will require a trip to the injured list and that he could be sent for imaging to determine the severity of the injury.

Needless to say, it’s tough news for Baltimore. Eflin entered the season as the club’s de facto ace after the losses of Kyle Bradish to injury and Corbin Burnes to free agency. He found success early on with a 3.00 ERA in his first three starts, but missed over a month due to a lat strain. Since returning, he’s pitched to a 7.13 ERA in 44 innings including today’s abbreviated outing. Even ignoring today’s start, Eflin has posted figures north of 6.00 in both ERA and FIP since returning from the shelf. He’s also struck out just 17.6% of his opponents and surrendered 13 homers in just eight starts. His results have been so disastrous since his return from the shelf back in May that it’s fair to wonder if a stint on the injured list could be a necessary reset for the 31-year-old.

The Orioles fell to a disappointing 35-47 record with their loss today, but the front office has not yet committed to selling as they hold out hope for a hot streak that could put them back into the playoff conversation. Each loss makes that sort of run less and less likely to occur, however, and whether the Orioles end up winning enough games to stay in the race or sell off rental players at the deadline, a healthy and effective Eflin figures to be a big part of either of those plans. Chayce McDermott and Brandon Young are among the players who could be called upon to fill in for Eflin if he heads to the injured list.

Eflin looked like he could be one of the more attractive rental starters on the market this summer, but at this point it seems likely that Tomoyuki Sugano and his 4.06 ERA in 16 starts will be the most attractive rental arm in Baltimore’s rotation. Even 41-year-old veteran Charlie Morton may garner more interest than Eflin at this point, as he’s managed to turn things around after a brutal start with a 3.21 ERA over his past 12 appearances and a 2.90 ERA since returning to the rotation on May 26. On the other hand, it’s fair to note that Morton’s turnaround over the past month could certainly happen for Eflin in the run up to the deadline. That would likely require him to avoid the injured list, however, as even a minimum stint on the shelf at this point would leave him sidelined until after the All-Star break.