Former 16-Game Winner Nearing Orioles Return After ‘Sharp’ Rehab Outing

Eflin has been sidelined for the better part of the past month with a right lat strain. His last start occurred on April 7, where he went six strong innings with just one earned run allowed before leaving the game with "shoulder fatigue."

Eflin has been on the injured list ever since, but he recently began the road to recovery, throwing a High-A rehab outing on Sunday, May 4.

On May 5, MLB Trade Rumors writer Mark Polishuk referred to Eflin's rehab performance as "sharp," and Camden Chat's Andrea SK backed that statement up.

"The IronBirds lost in extras when Bowling Green’s Mac Horvath got revenge on his former team with a two-run home run," the Camden Chat writer relayed. "The loss, however, was through no fault of rehabbing starter Zach Eflin, who threw 58 pitches (35 for strikes) in a successful four-inning Sunday outing. The right-hander walked two and also struck out four."

The clean zero-run rehab start is notable, circling back to Eflin's comments before Sunday's High-A outing.

"Orioles' Zach Eflin says he hopes to only need one rehab start (pitching tomorrow for High-A Aberdeen) but [his availability] will depend on how he comes out of it and [the] training staff's decision," Baltimore Sun reporter Matt Weyrich noted on Saturday.

Assuming Eflin checks out okay with the Orioles' medical staff, there's reason to believe he could be activated off the IL as soon as this week. If not next week, in the event Baltimore errs on the side of caution.

Eflin is a former 16-game winner of the Tampa Bay Rays who ranked sixth in the AL Cy Young voting that season. He was pitching to a career-best 3.00 ERA in 2025 before suffering the lat injury.