With Corbin Burnes leaving in free agency and Grayson Rodriguez opening the season on the injured list, Zach Eflin has had to step up and be the Baltimore Orioles‘ ace (and Opening Day starter) in their absence.
He’s done a fantastic job thus far, picking up where he left off last year and providing much-needed consistency while the rest of the Orioles’ shorthanded rotation has floundered.
The 31-year-old righty has opened the season with three straight quality starts, going 2-1 with a 3.00 ERA and a 0.83 ERA in 18 innings. While he’s only notched eight strikeouts, he’s been a clear bright spot whenever he’s taken the mound.
That includes Monday’s outstanding performance against the Arizona Diamondbacks, when he outdueled opposing ace Zac Gallen with six innings of one-run ball and pitched Baltimore to a 5-1 road win.
Given how well he was dealing, it was surprising that Eflin exited after only 73 pitches (47 pitches). During his post-game interview, he revealed why he came out early.
Eflin said he left the game due to shoulder fatigue, which he called “precautionary.” He added that he’ll be re-evaluated on Tuesday and see how he feels after sleeping on Monday, but said he’s “pretty optimistic.”
While that’s encouraging and it sounds like Eflin’s injury may be minor, it’s still concerning that he’s already dealing with shoulder soreness. Monday was only his third start of the season, and he only threw 73 pitches before leaving. His shoulder should still be fresh at this stage of the year.
The Orioles are counting on Eflin to stay healthy and provide quality innings until Rodriguez returns, which may not be for a while. Their rotation is already dangerously thin, and losing their best remaining starter would be a major blow.
Furthermore, Eflin hasn’t been the most durable pitcher throughout his career, so it’s always alarming whenever an injury pops up for him. This is his 10th MLB season, but he’s only had one year with at least 30 starts and only three years with more than 130 innings.
Accordingly, this is a situation worth monitoring for Baltimore. Eflin’s next scheduled start is against the Toronto Blue Jays at home this weekend, but that may need to be pushed back or skipped depending on how his shoulder feels.
Hopefully he avoids the IL, as the Orioles can’t afford to lose another starter for a significant period of time.