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Zach Eflin Exits Start With Lower Back Tightness

By Nick Deeds | June 28, 2025 at 6:56pm CDT

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.

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Baltimore Orioles Zach Eflin

Mike Elias Discusses Deadline Plans, Tony Mansolino, Samuel Basallo
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Angels Designate Hector Neris For Assignment
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Post a Comment

22 Comments

  1. steveguy13

    2 weeks ago

    No mention of Grayson Rodriguez. It’s like he died and they removed him from history.

    4
    Reply
    • dm867

      2 weeks ago

      Poor kid can’t stay healthy. Let’s hope he’s not a Means part II

      Reply
    • Thornton Mellon

      2 weeks ago

      Rodriguez will get hurt again as soon as they try to extend his arm. Maybe you can salvage him being a reliever.

      Reply
      • steveguy13

        2 weeks ago

        I just want to know… where he is.

        Reply
  2. WadeBoggsWildRide

    2 weeks ago

    Not yet committed to selling my butt.

    2
    Reply
    • Acoss1331

      2 weeks ago

      It’s hard to wave the White flag after having such expectations for this season.

      Reply
      • WadeBoggsWildRide

        2 weeks ago

        I meant that literally. I am not yet committed to selling my butt.

        2
        Reply
  3. Easy as 1 2 3

    2 weeks ago

    Yeah Orioles DEFINITELY didn’t need pitching this off season lmao. Man lot of Orioles fans eating humble pie this season.

    Could have traded for and extended Crochet and signed Fried but noooooooooooooooo prospects and no long term contracts.

    4
    Reply
    • DwayneMurphyFav

      2 weeks ago

      Wouldn’t it be awesome to be in a room when your scouts, assistants,, player personnel are telling you we need more ….and you’re like stfu I got this. Then it’s frick I should’ve listened to you. FIRED!

      2
      Reply
      • Atloriolesfan

        2 weeks ago

        So your theory is that everyone working for Elias, including Sig and Eve, told him to sign a bunch of FA pitchers and he ignored them? And Rubenstein is going to fire him? Sure.

        Who’s your inside source?

        1
        Reply
        • Memorialstadium

          2 weeks ago

          Sig is part of the problem. More concerned with the LF wall than the starting rotation.

          Reply
    • GabrielMorenoSuperfan

      2 weeks ago

      Every Orioles fan knew we needed pitching.

      4
      Reply
      • Boston’s Alignment

        2 weeks ago

        *Every mlb fan.

        1
        Reply
      • Easy as 1 2 3

        2 weeks ago

        Smart ones did. Homers didn’t.

        I tried telling padres fans Hayward wasn’t gonna cut it in LF smart ones knew he wouldn’t homers didn’t wanna believe it.

        And LF has been a hole all season long.

        Reply
    • Boston’s Alignment

      2 weeks ago

      I don’t think their fans are eating humble pie. Nice narrative but it’s wrong. Intelligent O’s fans hate the unfinished business and they probably detest Elias at this point.
      Who builds a winning team like this and doesn’t finish the job?
      “It the fans!” Easy as 1 2 3

      1
      Reply
      • jdgoat

        2 weeks ago

        There were some saying they had the best offseason in the AL while in reality they had one of the worst offseasons a wanna be contender has had in recent memory.

        1
        Reply
    • dm867

      2 weeks ago

      Did fried want to sign here? Did Burnes? Would Crochet have signed an extension? The thing with free agency is the free agent chooses where to sign. This isn’t a video game.

      Reply
      • Easy as 1 2 3

        2 weeks ago

        Did orioles offer fried the most money or try to beat the Yankees offer?

        Did orioles try to beat the Red Sox offer for Crochet

        Players want one thing
        Job security

        Yankees offered 8 years 218 mill
        Did orioles offer 10 years 300 mill? More aav couple years longer and could have worked it so most money is paid upfront? Most likely not.

        Crochet netted 6 years 170 mill. Orioles could have come in with 8 years 240 mill. Again higher aav more years again front load while hitters are in pre arb and arb. Did they? Most likely not.

        “Free agents choose where to sign”
        No. Free agents look at contracts offered and usually pick the one with the most job seurity and money attached. Highly doubt Orioles were anywhere close to Yankee and Red Sox offer considering how cheap they are in free agency.

        Reply
  4. Dumpster Divin Theo

    2 weeks ago

    Zach must have hurt it twirling and dancing

    2
    Reply
  5. Tiberius

    2 weeks ago

    Zero trade value. Congratulations Elias.

    1
    Reply
  6. TheToasters

    2 weeks ago

    If only the Orioles had resigned Corbin Burnes, paid for Blake Snell, nabbed Sasaki instead of Sugano, and picked Verlander or Max for their bounce back vet instead of Morton, Elias would finally be as smart as his critics.

    2
    Reply
  7. Thornton Mellon

    2 weeks ago

    If they go a mere 50-29 to finish the season they win 86 and have a 50/50 shot or so at a wild card. They’re 21-19 in the last 40. Does anyone really think that they can do this?

    The thing is, what pieces are still attractive. Eflin has been awful lately and is now hurt. Sugano is wilting in the Baltimore summer as I feared. Morton of all people is the best lately, but at 41, being the worst pitcher in baseball the first 7 weeks, and still owed 7.5M this year?

    Mullins got swing happy and went ultra cold, I don’t think anyone would take O’Neill, Mountcastle was terrible when not hurt, and Mateo who is a AAA player they insist on keeping on the roster.

    That leaves O’Hearn as the lone attractive piece, having a career year. Unless they are willing to part with a reliever on an already supertaxed bullpen. Or trade someone with multiple years of team control which would be less likely than the 50-29 finish.

    In other words, I think it will be a fairly quiet deadline.

    1
    Reply

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