The Baltimore Orioles recently re-signed starting pitcher Zach Eflin. Eflin, however, underwent a lumbar microdiscectomy in August. After re-signing with the ball club, Eflin provided an update on his injury timeline.
“As of now, I think about four and a half months post surgery, I feel fantastic,” Eflin told reporters, via masn Orioles. “I've been doing some mound work and I think I have my first bullpen scheduled on January 6. So everything's been going smooth. As of now, my goal is to be ready for Opening Day, for the first start of the season.
“It could change, I don't know… I feel better than I ever have in my life. I'm fully prepared to be ready for that first week of the season.”
Eflin, a 31-year-old veteran, first landed in Baltimore during the 2024 season. He ended up pitching to a strong 2.60 ERA across nine starts with the O's. 2025 told a different story, however, as underperformance and injuries dominated Eflin's campaign. As mentioned, his season came to an early end in August.
His initial injury timeline was uncertain. While Eflin is not guaranteed to return for the opening week of the '25 season, he is hoping to be available to pitch by then. Eflin's timeline goal is encouraging to say the least.
The fact that he is set to begin throwing bullpens in early January is promising. He will have a few months to throw bullpens and build up strength before the regular season even begins. Assuming no setbacks occur, Eflin should be ready to go at or near the beginning of the season — but an official injury timeline has yet to be made available.
