Baltimore Orioles Activate Injured Star Pitcher, Move Veteran Infielder to IL

The Baltimore Orioles are getting back one of their most important pitchers, but will also be without one of their veteran defenders for some time.

Aug 3, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Baltimore Orioles starting pitcher Zach Eflin (24) throws a pitch during the first inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field / Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

Injuries have really been the storyline for the Baltimore Orioles this season, and on Saturday, another one of their players went down with something that will keep him on the shelf for some time.

Veteran infielder Ramon Urias suffered a sprained right ankle when he rolled it trying to cover third base on a steal attempt by Ezequiel Tovar of the Colorado Rockies.

Placed on the the 10-day injured list, he now joins Jordan Westburg and Ryan Mountcastle as position players with this designation, while Jorge Mateo is also on the IL, but his year is over after undergoing season-ending elbow surgery.

The Orioles were able to announce some good news, though, when revealing they have activated Zach Eflin off the injured list. He will start the finale against the Rockies in a must win game.

We have made the following roster moves: pic.twitter.com/8GTCzlNi89

— Baltimore Orioles (@Orioles) September 1, 2024

After being acquired by Baltimore ahead of the trade deadline, Eflin has lived up to the expectations they had by posting a 2.13 ERA across his four starts.

Considering that three of their starters are out for the year and Grayson Rodriguez is still dealing with a lat injury, getting the veteran right-hander back is an important step for this team as they are hoping to have a top-of-the-rotation unit that allows them to compete in the playoffs.

Having Eflin healthy is the first step as they wait for Rodriguez to make his own return.

Because of the injury to Urias, the September call-up period the Orioles have utilized in the past by giving some of their star prospects their first taste of Major League action, isn't exactly what they can do this year.

Initially when it was announced that Coby Mayo would be making his return for his second stint in the bigs, it was seen as a way to keep him around the MLB team and use him in spot situations. Without Urias available, there's a real chance the top prospect has to be on the field more often than Baltimore originally expected.