Zach Eflin felt responsible. 

The Orioles’ 2025 season was derailed by many things, but injuries and poor starting pitching were chief among them. Eflin contributed to both problems, making three separate stints on the injured list and posting a 5.93 ERA in 14 starts before undergoing season-ending lumbar microdiscectomy surgery in August. But after returning to the club on a one-year, $10 million deal Sunday, the right-hander has a chance at a redo. 

“I wanted to come back, it wasn’t a secret,” Eflin said in a video news conference Monday. “To be able to have an opportunity to come back after everything that I put the organization through is just a tremendous blessing, and I just felt the loyalty speaking to me. The last thing I wanted to do was be the guy they traded for and get hurt and not be the guy that they wanted, and that really weighed on me throughout the whole process of getting surgery.” 

Eflin, who turns 32 in April, had dealt with a protruding disc in his back for years, but it started becoming a more pressing issue in 2024 and that carried into last season. He felt the effects both in his everyday life, such as when he suffered a flare-up putting his kids to bed during his time with the Tampa Bay Rays, and on the mound, where his mechanics slipped as he tried to avoid putting too much pressure on that part of his spine. 

Following six weeks of painful rehabilitation, Eflin entered this offseason slowly building his strength back up before resuming throwing in November. His first bullpen session is scheduled for Jan. 6, after which he hopes to ramp up in time for opening day. 

“I feel fantastic,” Eflin said. “Everything has been going smooth and 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. We still have another month and a half to go until I get to spring, but I feel better than I ever have in my life and I’m fully prepared to be ready for that first week of the season.” 

A command artist who relies more on generating weak contact than missing bats, Eflin wasn’t able to throw out of the same arm slot and his pitches across the board deteriorated in their movement and deception. He noted that his early throwing sessions already feel much smoother and he’s able to throw out of a much higher slot now.

Orioles’ Zach Eflin said his previous back injury forced him to change his mechanics, resulting in a much lower arm angle than before.

The change affected the way his pitches moved and made them less deceptive. His sinker in particular lost more than three inches of vertical… pic.twitter.com/j5XWDDkFBo

— Matt Weyrich (@ByMattWeyrich) December 29, 2025

The Orioles’ 2024 trade deadline acquisition said he received interest from several teams in free agency and wasn’t certain he would be returning. But Baltimore showed interest in him early, reaching out at the start of the offseason and remaining in contact with him as he worked his way back into pitching shape. Eflin said the two sides never discussed a bullpen role and he planned to build up as a starter. 

“You want to surround yourself with good people, and there are good people all over this organization,” Eflin said. “It’s kind of a weird time for me. I’m coming off an injury, I’m coming off a back surgery. I don’t know which teams are going to be interested, who’s going to want a guy after a spine surgery, or close-to-a-spine surgery. I’ve never been through that process before. But Baltimore was there the whole time.” 

He touted the relationships he built in the Orioles’ clubhouse, calling it a collection of “some of my closest friends in the game.” That includes some of the team’s offseason additions. Eflin and outfielder Taylor Ward, acquired in a deal with the Los Angeles Angels, grew up playing Little League and travel ball together. He also overlapped with Shane Baz in Tampa Bay and called the young right-hander a “competitive leader.” 

Where Eflin fits in the Orioles’ 2026 plans will likely be different from last year, when he took the ball as the team’s opening day roster. But despite their aggressive offseason that still has them in play for further pitching additions, the Orioles reunited with Eflin to give both sides another chance at correcting their poor results from a season ago. 

“The moves that they’ve made, it’s a win-now thing,” Eflin said. “We want to win the World Series, and everybody on the team knows that. Clearly, they’re making it obvious that we’re going to make a run at this thing. So, it was very attractive to come back.” 

Have a news tip? Contact Matt Weyrich at mweyrich@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200, x.com/ByMattWeyrich and instagram.com/bymattweyrich.