Zach Eflin’s A sore back sent him to the list of injuries for 15 days. Orioles announced the move, which dates back to June 29, while recalling rookie Righty Brandon Young He has a place in the active roster.
Eflin finished the game with just one inning during the start of Saturday, then he was forced out of the game by his back. O has not provided more specificity yet and has only declared the injury as a lower back discomfort. His return schedule is still unclear. Eflin is the upcoming free agent on the last team, so the deadline could impact a month in the summer trade market.
It’s a frustrating season for 31-year-old Righty. It started well enough because Eflin started the year three consecutive mass. He withdrew from his third appearance due to shoulder discomfort and was later diagnosed as a low-grade lat strain. It took him a month. What is even more worrying is that Eflin doesn’t look right since returning on May 11.
Eflin has been marked as an average running of 7.16 since returning from a shoulder injury. He surrendered 14 home runs in just 44 innings, but his opponent batsman is less than 17%. Even if one wants to write off Saturday’s performance – he gave up four games while trying to pass the back discomfort, he took a tough hit in four of his first eight outings.
This has caused a blow to Eflin’s trade value. The club will be interested in his 2023-24 figures, but his salary is 18mm, which is a relatively expensive rebound target. This injury adds another layer of uncertainty, and if he is still injured in the end of July, it could put him out of the trade market altogether. The player on the IL is eligible to be traded, but it would be a hard sell if he does not show some form of improvement before the deadline. O’s general manager Mike Elias said over the weekend that they are not committed to sales. Still, over the next few weeks, raising their playoff odds to the point where the front desk justifies no at least the upcoming free agent will require a lot of performance.
Meanwhile, it seems like it’s possible for Young to enter the rotation of Tony Mansolino. The 26-year-old struggled in a three-man game and gave up 10 runs in 12 2/3 innings. He has had 3.25 ERAs in 25 outings over the past few seasons. Young has a five-shot mixture that is situated by fastballs at 93 mph.
