With his head down, Zach Eflin walked with purpose — off the mound, down the dugout steps and straight into the tunnel to the clubhouse.
By the end of the Texas Rangers’ 8-5 win, Orioles manager Craig Albernaz didn’t waste time in announcing the expected long-term absence of Eflin due to right elbow discomfort.
Albernaz said Eflin will likely head to the injured list after he received imaging on his elbow Wednesday.
“That’s tough. Any time you see any one of your guys feel something barking, it’s always you’re hoping for the best and that — it straight-up stinks,” first baseman Pete Alonso said. “Ef’s a good dude and a really, really hard worker. I mean, he’s a guy who I hope everything is OK. Hopefully, cause we need him, for sure.”
Eflin had just completed a healthy spring, proving that he was back at his best following an August back surgery. He began Tuesday’s game against the Texas Rangers in fine form. But then something seemed not quite right in the fourth inning, and Eflin’s night ended in a hurry.
“I feel for Zach,” Albernaz said. “The whole coaching staff, the whole team, you just feel for him. Heart hurts for him. You never want to see anything happen to any player, especially someone like Zach.”
The Orioles’ relievers, thrown into the fire after two nights of shortened starts, couldn’t hold the Rangers in check. Grant Wolfram, Yennier Cano and Yaramil Hiraldo combined to allow six runs in 3 1/3 innings.
Some of the Orioles’ hitters came through with large hits. Pete Alonso hit his first home run for the club and Gunnar Henderson tied the game in the fifth with a two-run double. Plus, Taylor Ward recorded his first career four-hit game by driving in two runs with a double in the ninth during another rally.
But Texas used a three-run homer from Danny Jansen against Hiraldo to build a lead that was large enough to withstand a late push. Corey Seager cranked a homer against right-hander Anthony Nunez in the ninth, too. With that surge, the Rangers sealed a series win before Wednesday’s matinee.
The greater concern, in the grand scheme of Baltimore’s season, came earlier.
With two outs in the fourth inning, Eflin issued a walk to Evan Carter. That prompted pitching coach Drew French to jog to the mound for a visit, and it turned into an extended discussion. But Eflin stayed in, threw one pitch — a 76-mph breaking ball to Ezequiel Duran, who homered off Eflin earlier — and catcher Adley Rutschman turned toward the dugout.
Out came athletic trainer Scott Barringer and Albernaz, and after a conference, Eflin made his way off the field.
Albernaz said Eflin felt the elbow discomfort a few pitches before his final one. Once he saw the breaking ball fly well out of the zone, Albernaz knew the Orioles needed to pull Eflin.
“I think, obviously, everyone is feeling for Zach right now,” Albernaz said. “We’ll see what happens tomorrow with the imaging.”
The health of the rotation to this point is part of the reason why the Orioles optioned right-hander Dean Kremer to Triple-A Norfolk. With off days built into the schedule, a six-man rotation didn’t make sense, and president of baseball operations Mike Elias said the Orioles wanted to keep Kremer stretched out as a starter in the minors rather than putting him on a bullpen schedule.
The presence of Kremer, who is scheduled to pitch Friday in Norfolk, could be a massive help should Eflin be injured for any significant period of time. Albernaz said the Orioles are discussing multiple options currently but they do expect to make a move to replace Eflin, potentially with a reliever in the short term.
The earliest Kremer can return to the majors after being optioned is April 9, but that buffer rule goes away if he’s called up as an injury replacement. The Orioles will need a fifth starter on April 7, but they could run with a four-man rotation in the interim and use a bullpen game that day against the Chicago White Sox.
Eflin dealt with multiple injuries in 2025. He was placed on the injured list for a lat strain in April and his back discomfort prompted another injured list stint in June. By July, the back discomfort continued and Eflin’s season was cut short.
This winter, when Eflin returned to the Orioles as a free agent, he said the back surgery helped him live his everyday life better, let alone throw a baseball. He looked great during spring training, too, and earned a place in the initial rotation.
Eflin has never been placed on the major league injured list with an elbow injury. In general, elbow discomfort is an ominous injury pronouncement, and the Orioles are bracing for Eflin requiring at least some time off the mound.