PHOENIX -- The tough breaks keep coming for the Orioles, who have been battered, bruised and banged up over the first two weeks of the 2025 season.
Right-hander Zach Eflin was placed on the 15-day injured list, retroactive to Tuesday, with a right lat strain. Colin Selby, who was on Baltimore¡¯s taxi squad, was recalled from Triple-A Norfolk and will join the Orioles¡¯ bullpen for Wednesday¡¯s series finale in Phoenix.
The Orioles have not yet decided how they may fill Eflin¡¯s spot on the staff in the interim. It¡¯s possible the O¡¯s won¡¯t need a fifth starter for a bit because they have an off-day on Thursday, followed by another on Monday.
¡°We¡¯re talking about it now,¡± manager Brandon Hyde said. ¡°We just got the news during [Tuesday's] game, so we¡¯re talking about it now.¡±
Using Dean Kremer, Tomoyuki Sugano, Charlie Morton and Cade Povich, the Orioles could make it until April 19 with a four-man rotation and a nine-man bullpen.
Regardless, it¡¯s a blow to lose Eflin for any amount of time, but especially if his injury lingers and causes him to miss an extended period.
Eflin departed Baltimore¡¯s 5-1 win at Arizona on Monday with right shoulder fatigue. Prior to that, he was terrific during an efficient 73-pitch outing in which he tossed six innings of one-run ball. After the sixth, Eflin reported the fatigue, which occurred in the same shoulder that had inflammation last August, when he had a 15-day stint on the injured list.
The unplanned departure came on the same day the Orioles announced right-handed swingman Albert Su¨¢rez has a Grade 2 right subscapularis strain that will sideline him for multiple months. Su¨¢rez is on the injured list alongside five starters -- Grayson Rodriguez, Kyle Bradish, Tyler Wells, Trevor Rogers and Chayce McDermott -- as well as outfielder Colton Cowser and reliever Andrew Kittredge.
Several of those injuries have been sustained since the start of Spring Training in mid-February. Rodriguez has right elbow inflammation that became an issue during the spring. Kittredge underwent left knee debridement in March. Cowser fractured his left thumb during a slide into first base on March 30.
Gunnar Henderson opened the season on the IL due to a right intercostal strain, but the star shortstop has since returned to the O¡¯s lineup.
Through 12 games this season, Eflin (3.00 ERA) has been Baltimore¡¯s best starter. Each of his first three outings has been a six-inning quality start, making him the first O¡¯s pitcher to begin a season with three consecutive quality starts since Dylan Bundy in 2018.
The Orioles¡¯ rotation benefits from the consistency that Eflin provides, especially with several other starters having bumpier beginnings to the season, such as Morton (8.78 ERA), Kremer (6.52) and Povich (6.10).
With Eflin out, others will try to step up and pitch quality innings for the O¡¯s.
¡°I¡¯ve been on some really good teams the past few years that went through the same thing. We lost some really good players in Atlanta and still were able to accomplish some really good things,¡± said Morton, an 18-year big league veteran. ¡°All teams have injuries. It¡¯s just, as an individual, stepping up and doing my job.¡±