Baltimore Orioles Ace Eager to Return to Majors After Rehab Assignment

The Baltimore Orioles could really use their top starting pitcher as they’ve fought injures since the start of the season.

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

Baltimore Orioles starting pitcher Zach Eflin’s rehab assignment has been scheduled. He’s hoping it will be the only one he needs.

Deep down, the Orioles probably hope the same thing.

Eflin has been on the 15-day injured list since April 8 with a right lat strain. On Sunday, he’ll head to High-A Aberdeen for a rehab assignment. Before he headed there, he met with beat reporters in the Orioles’ clubhouse.

Per MLB.com, Eflin is “hopeful” that he’ll need just one rehab game to get ready for a return to the Majors. There was a sense that he was eager to return as soon as he could.

To make that happen, Eflin believes he needs to throw at least 60 pitches over four or five innings, per the report. That might put the right-hander in a position to be stretched out enough to return to the rotation.

Eflin is being optimistic that things will go well and that he can return to the rotation next week. If he pitches on normal rest, he could pitch for the Orioles on Friday.

He did provide one caveat — it depends on how everything progresses.

Still, it’s hope and the O’s need it from a starting pitching standpoint.

The Orioles 41-year-old veteran Charlie Morton and Japanese star Tomoyuki Sugano, who is 35 years old, to bolster the rotation after losing Corbin Burnes.

Morton has been awful while Sugano has been solid. Both are only in Baltimore on one-year deals. Morton was moved to the bullpen earlier this week.

The rest of the rotation includes Dean Kremer, Kyle Gibson and Cade Povich.

Meanwhile, Grayson Rodriguez remains on the 15-day injured list, now with a right lat strain. Two other quality starters, Kyle Bradish and Tyler Wells, are on the 60-day IL due to elbow injuries. Other potentials starters like Albert Suarez, Trevor Rogers, Cody Poteet and Chayce McDermott are also hurt.

Because of Baltimore’s schedule and off-days, they can go without a fifth starter for another week. So Eflin’s return, if it comes this week, would be perfectly timed.

Before his injury, Eflin was pitching like a No. 1 starter. In three starts he was 2-1 with a 3.00 ERA, as he struck out eight and walked one in 18 innings. He gave Baltimore a quality start in each outing and never allowed more than three earned runs in any outing.