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The severity of injuries to Orioles starter Zach Eflin and closer Félix Bautista is confirmed. They won’t pitch again in 2025.
Interim manager Tony Mansolino announced today that Eflin will undergo surgery on his lower back next week and rehab at home. Bautista has another medical appointment later this week but he’s shut down with a “significant injury” to his right shoulder.
Eflin is having a lumbar microdiscectomy, intended to relieve pressure on a spinal nerve caused by a herniated disc. He’s gone on the injured list twice with lower back pain and was sidelined earlier this season with a mild lat strain.
Any chance to trade Eflin at the deadline vanished with his latest injury, though it didn't involve his arm. He’s made 14 starts this season and posted a 5.93 ERA and 1.416 WHIP in 71 1/3 innings. A pending free agent, Eflin could be finished with the Orioles after 23 starts and a 4.48 ERA and 1.287 WHIP.
Eflin started Game 2 of the 2024 Wild Card series against the Royals and was removed after allowing one run in four innings.
