TAMPA – Zach Eflin is nearing a return to the Orioles’ rotation, perhaps next week in Cleveland.
Eflin tossed four innings yesterday in the Florida Complex League, allowing five unearned runs in the fourth. He threw 68 pitches, 40 for strikes, and said he felt “great” and “ready to go.”
The Orioles put Eflin on the 15-day injured list retroactive to June 29 with lower back discomfort and he's itching to rejoin the club.
“I’ve been eager,” he said. “I feel like I’ve been ready. More so just to prove I can kind of do it yesterday. Back feels great.”
Eflin went on the IL earlier this season with a low-grade lat strain. He said the back discomfort has “kind of popped up the past couple years, like once a year, and typically takes like seven days to clear up and I’m pretty much good to go after that."
“It’s kind of par for the course what’s happened the past couple weeks," he said. "It felt really good after about seven-to-10 days, everything loosened up and gained a lot more mobility.”
The trade deadline doesn't motivate Eflin to return and prove that he’s healthy. He just wants to pitch.
The competitor in him suffers from inactivity.
“That’s kind of my mentality anytime I’m on the IL is I don’t want to be on the IL,” he said. “I want to be back. It doesn’t matter if there’s a trade deadline coming up. Could be any point in the season. I’m not trying to be on the IL ever.”
Interim manager Tony Mansolino wouldn’t reveal is rotation plans beyond Sunday or confirm whether Eflin will face the Guardians.
“I won’t say specifically, but I think everything went well yesterday,” he said. “I think as we have a plan ready and he kind of checks his boxes after his recovery yesterday, I think we’ll have something for you soon.”
A team that’s likely to sell must view Eflin as a chip in his final year before free agency. He’s gone through it before with the Rays trading him to the Orioles last summer for three minor leaguers.
The key is to not let the uncertainty get inside your head.
“You honestly can’t look at it like that,” Eflin said. “I got traded over here last year. It wasn’t easy moving with four kids in a matter of a day or two, but it is what it is. It’s part of the game. But I don’t think anyone’s really focused on that. We’re here to win and focusing on today.”
* Kyle Bradish threw two innings of live batting practice today in Sarasota and is on the verge of a rehab assignment.
“I wasn’t there,” Mansolino said, “but our pitching coach went down there, they watched it and they said it was coming out hot, that he kind of looked like himself. Threw the ball great. As we get through tonight and into tomorrow and everything checks out, then there will probably be a plan in place for his rehab stint.”
* Cedric Mullins is out of the lineup but he’s fine. Mansolino wants to get bench players in games during the first series after the break.
* Tyler Wells will throw live batting practice Sunday in Sarasota. Keegan Akin will pitch in the Florida Complex League on Monday and move onto another affiliate.
Mansolino said there’s nothing “imminent” with Albert Suárez other than the right-hander throwing live batting practice possibly by the end of the month. He isn’t close to facing hitters.
* Ryan O’Hearn is playing first base for the first time since returning from the All-Star Game. O’Hearn and his wife Hannah also announced this week that they’re expecting their first child.
He’s on quite a roll lately.
“It’s been a lot,” he said. “I’ve known about the baby for a while, obviously, before we released it, so got a lot going on, but tremendous blessings and very grateful for them.”
O’Hearn went 0-for-2 in his first Midsummer Classic, which didn’t impact his enjoyment.
“Awesome experience,” he said. “Getting to kind of meet guys and see who they are not on the field but in the clubhouse and stuff is pretty cool. Be around the best players in the world. What an honor and cool to represent the O’s there.
"I talked to some of the Yankees guys. It's kind of funny when you're not at each other's throats in the actual game. Everybody was super nice, cool, great to meet."
The magnitude of the moment hit O’Hearn as he was introduced with the other American League starters.
“You’ve got the hype dancers around you and all that stuff,” he said, laughing. “That was cool. There were a lot of cool moments and something I’ll remember for a long time.”
Some of the starters left Truist Park after their removal from the game. O’Hearn hung at the railing until the last out.
“You never know if you’re gonna get a chance to go back,” he said. “I wanted to stay for the whole game and kind of soak it in, experience it, and it ended up being a really great game with the comeback there at the end. So fun to stick around and get to watch from the dugout.”