{"id":671453,"date":"2026-04-09T06:18:29","date_gmt":"2026-04-09T06:18:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/671453\/"},"modified":"2026-04-09T06:18:29","modified_gmt":"2026-04-09T06:18:29","slug":"orioles-zach-eflin-undergoes-season-ending-elbow-surgery","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/671453\/","title":{"rendered":"Orioles’ Zach Eflin undergoes season-ending elbow surgery"},"content":{"rendered":"

Got story updates? Submit your updates here. \u203a<\/a><\/p>\n

\"AEflin’s season-ending injury forces the Orioles to rethink their pitching plans early in the year.Baltimore Today<\/p>\n

Baltimore Orioles pitcher Zach Eflin has undergone season-ending Tommy John surgery after making just one start this season. The 32-year-old right-hander exited his March 31 outing against the Texas Rangers with right elbow discomfort and was placed on the 15-day injured list. An MRI and consultation with Dr. Keith Meister led to the decision for the procedure, ending Eflin’s 2026 campaign before it truly began.<\/p>\n

Why it matters<\/p>\n

Eflin’s injury is a significant early-season setback for the Orioles, who were counting on the veteran to be a key part of their starting rotation this year. The team had re-signed Eflin to a one-year, $10 million contract this offseason, hoping he could build on a 2025 season that was hindered by multiple IL stints and back surgery.<\/p>\n

The details<\/p>\n

Eflin threw just 3 2\/3 innings in his lone start of the season on March 31 against the Rangers before leaving the game with elbow discomfort. He was placed on the 15-day IL and underwent further testing, including an MRI and consultation with Dr. Keith Meister, who ultimately performed the Tommy John surgery.<\/p>\n

Eflin made his lone start of the 2026 season on March 31.He was placed on the 15-day IL shortly after that start.<\/p>\n

The players<\/p>\n

Zach Eflin<\/p>\n

A 32-year-old right-handed pitcher who has spent parts of three seasons with the Baltimore Orioles after being acquired in a trade from the Tampa Bay Rays in 2024. He re-signed with the Orioles this offseason on a one-year, $10 million contract.<\/p>\n

Craig Albernaz<\/p>\n

The manager of the Baltimore Orioles, who expressed empathy for Eflin’s injury situation.<\/p>\n

Dr. Keith Meister<\/p>\n

The orthopedic surgeon who performed Eflin’s season-ending Tommy John surgery.<\/p>\n

Got photos? Submit your photos here. \u203a<\/a>
\n What they\u2019re saying<\/p>\n

\u201cI feel for Zach. 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2014 Craig Albernaz, Manager, Baltimore Orioles<\/p>\n

What\u2019s next<\/p>\n

The Orioles will now need to find a replacement for Eflin in their starting rotation, with the team currently 6-6 and in second place in the American League East.<\/p>\n

The takeaway<\/p>\n

Eflin’s season-ending injury is a tough break for the Orioles, who were counting on the veteran right-hander to be a key part of their starting rotation this year. The team will now have to adjust their plans and find a way to overcome this early setback as they look to compete in the AL East.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Got story updates? Submit your updates here. \u203a Eflin’s season-ending injury forces the Orioles to rethink their pitching…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":671454,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2374],"tags":[143,47,2538,5,4,125],"class_list":{"0":"post-671453","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-baltimore-orioles","8":"tag-baltimore","9":"tag-baltimore-orioles","10":"tag-baltimoreorioles","11":"tag-baseball","12":"tag-mlb","13":"tag-orioles"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/671453","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=671453"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/671453\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/671454"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=671453"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=671453"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=671453"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}