Zach Eflin's Elbow Discomfort: Orioles' Concerns

On April 1st, Zach Eflin made his 2026 debut for the Orioles, but had to leave the game

against the Rangers early with right elbow.

Discomfort.

It happened in the top of the fourth inning at Candon Yards on Tuesday night.

The 31-year-old right-hander had looked sharp up to that point.

He racked up seven strikeouts over three and two-thirds innings and allowed just one run

on a lead-off homer by Ezekiel Duran in the third.

With the Rangers started rallying with two outs of double by Danny Jansen and a walk

to Evan Carter before the trainer came out for a long chat on the mound and pulled him.

Fans in the team are holding their breath now, given Eflin's injury history.

He had back surgery last August 18th and missed time entering spring training where he was

the last starter to pitch in the grapefruit league.

Games.

Still, he crushed it there and said he felt way better than before.

His 2025 season was rough, with three injured listings and a 5.93 earned run average over

14 starts.

That was a drop from his strong 2.60 mark in nine outings during the second half of 2024

after the trade deadline deal from the raise.

The Orioles hoped this is just a minor setback as they monitored his elbow closely and adjust

the rotation moving forward.

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