Orioles Can't Afford To Have Current Ace Miss Time After Leaving Game Early

Can the Baltimore Orioles afford to have their current ace miss time?

Nick Ziegler | Apr 8, 2025

Apr 7, 2025; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Baltimore Orioles pitcher Zach Eflin in the first inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field. / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

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Baltimore Orioles

The Baltimore Orioles recently suffered another injury scare with their current ace Zach Eflin leaving the game early with what was being called shoulder soreness.

It has been a challenging start to the season already for the Orioles on the injury front, and this news wasn’t good at all.

This winter, the team lost Corbin Burnes in free agency and were going to be relying on both Eflin and Grayson Rodriguez to step up in for the rotation.

While Rodriguez has flashed some upside, staying healthy has been an issue for him, and he is currently on the injured list.

For Eflin, he pitched excellent after being traded to Baltimore last year, but throughout his career he wouldn’t be considered an ace.

The Orioles are off to a slow start in 2025, largely because of injuries to key players. The ultra-talented Gunnar Henderson missed the start to the year and just recently returned. Furthermore, in the lineup, Colton Cowser is also out for about the next two months.

Due to the decisions made in the winter to let key players like Anthony Santander and Burnes leave in free agency, a slow start was always going to lead to some questions.

That’s exactly where the franchise stands now, and their current ace leaving with shoulder soreness in his third starts of the year should be a major concern.

So far in 2025, the right-hander has performed well with a 2-1 record and 3.00 ERA. These numbers are pretty similar to the 2.60 ERA that he had in nine starts with the team last year, as the right-hander might have turned the corner in his career.

However, durability has been a bit of an issue. The 31-year-old has only throw over 150 innings pitched in two seasons, which is alarming.

Due to his injury issues in the past coupled with fatigue in his third start, it is easy to get concerned.

Eflin is set to pitch over the weekend against the Toronto Blue Jays, but Baltimore must proceed with the utmost caution.

Even if it means missing a start or having the rotation moved around, they have to protect their current ace.

The Orioles cannot afford to have the right-hander hit the injured list this season, and especially not with the state of the rotation.

Coming into the campaign, the starting rotation was something to be concerned about after losing Burnes. So far in 2025, those concerns have been proven to be valid early on.

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