Orioles to Be Without Key Starter for Extended Time in Latest Roster Move

The Baltimore Orioles received a very tough blow to their starting rotation.

On Tuesday, the team announced that starting pitcher Zach Eflin will be transferred to the 60-day injured list. In a corresponding move, the Orioles activated newly acquired left-handed pitcher Nick Raquet. However, he has yet to report.

The Orioles have made the following roster moves:

- Acquired LHP Nick Raquet from the St. Louis Cardinals in exchange for minor league INF/OF Brayden Smith. He has not yet reported.
- Transferred RHP Zach Eflin (right elbow discomfort) to the 60-day Injured List.
— Roch Kubatko (@masnRoch) April 7, 2026

Eflin exited his first start of the season in the fourth inning on March 31 against the Texas Rangers. The Orioles quickly raised concern when they announced right elbow soreness and placed him on the 15-day injured list.

On Sunday, Eflin traveled to Dallas to seek a second opinion from Dr. Keith Meister. Meister is known as a specialist in Tommy John surgery and elbow reconstruction. While the team has not confirmed whether Eflin needs Tommy John surgery, the news does not appear encouraging.

What This Means for the Orioles' Rotation

Mar 28, 2026; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Orioles pitcher Kyle Bradish (38) delivers during the first inning against the Minnesota Twins at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Mitch Stringer-Imagn Images | Mitch Stringer-Imagn Images

With Eflin down for an extended period, the Orioles will need to rely on their depth. They have called up both Cade Povich and Brandon Young in recent days to fill his spot in the rotation. Povich was scheduled to start Monday against the Chicago White Sox, but he was needed in long relief on Sunday.

That left Young to start last night, and he performed well, helping the Orioles snap a three-game losing streak. Both pitchers are strong candidates to take Eflin’s spot. The Orioles also have Dean Kremer in the minor leagues, a surprising omission from the Opening Day roster.

The Orioles’ rotation was a big question mark heading into the regular season. Many fans and analysts disagreed on whether Baltimore had done enough to build a rotation that can compete in the American League East.

The early results are not great for the optimists. Through the Orioles’ first ten games of the season, they rank 18th in baseball with a starting rotation ERA of 4.34. Aside from Trevor Rogers, the rest of the rotation has struggled to find consistency thus far.

In fact, through two turns in the rotation, Rogers is the only starting pitcher to have gone six innings, doing it twice. To further stress this, Shane Baz is the only other Orioles starter who has completed five innings this season.

Both Kyle Bradish and Chris Bassitt, who many expected to have big seasons, have looked disastrous thus far. Bradish’s command has been off, as he has walked three batters in both starts. He has also failed to generate the same swing-and-miss he showed last season. However, his metrics are not far off from 2023, when he finished top four in American League Cy Young voting. His ERA sits at 6.23, but his expected ERA is 2.85, indicating some early bad luck.

The bigger concern, however, is Bassitt. The 37-year-old has long been a steady presence in every rotation he has been part of. He is also known for going deep into games, eclipsing 170 innings in each of the past four seasons. But through two games thus far, Bassitt has looked much unlike his vintage self. With a man down in the rotation, the Orioles will need Bassitt to figure it out quickly.

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