There hasn’t been much concrete information about his rehab stint since then, but during a Zoom call with the Orioles beat, Eflin revealed that he will throw his first bullpen session on January 6 (via Matt Weyrich of the Baltimore Sun). Eflin added that his goal is to be ready for Opening Day, although he noted that the schedule is still highly subject to change. Obviously, his eventual return point will depend on how his ramp-up period goes now that he’s cleared for his first post-operative bullpen session.
A healthy Eflin would, at least on paper, give the Orioles a full rotation. He would sit next to it Trevor Rogers, Kyle Bradish, Daan Kremer and newly acquired Shane Baz. That’s a solid group if everyone is healthy, but that’s a colossal “if.” Eflin threw just 81 1/3 innings last year before season-ending back surgery. Bradish threw just 54 innings between the minors and the big leagues when he returned from Tommy John surgery. Baz threw 166 1/3 innings in his career, but managed only 106 1/3 Major League frames in the three previous seasons, mainly due to Tommy John surgery. Depth options such as Cade Povich, Chayce McDermott And Brandon Young give the O’s some cover, but none of that trio has established themselves in the major leagues yet.
The Orioles have been linked to a wide variety of notable starters via both trade and free agency. Their pursuit of Miami is legitimate Edward Cabrera has reportedly cooled off, but Baltimore has been linked to free agents such as Tatsuya Imai, Ranger Suarez And Framber Valdez during the low season. Bringing Eflin back at a reasonably reasonable rate shouldn’t be a major hindrance to any subsequent additions. RosterResource projects Baltimore’s payroll is approximately $147 million at the time of this writing. That’s $13 million lower than 2025 levels. It stands to reason that ownership is willing to at least replicate that level of spending, if not push payroll further north.
Virtually no team will complete a full season in today’s game with only five starting pitchers. In fact, the Orioles are more likely to need additional weapons than most. Bradish and Eflin will see their workloads managed to varying degrees. Rogers and Baz have notable injury histories. Whether it’s during spring training or the regular marathon season, the Orioles are sure to experience injuries to their staff. They had eight pitchers start six or more games for them in 2025, including free agents Tomoyuki Suganowho started a team-high 30 games. They’ll probably have at least seven or eight pitchers with 10 or more games started.
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