Zach Eflin DVOA, Advanced Stats, & Fantasy Rankings

The Baltimore Orioles announced on Friday that right-hander Zach Eflin will start on Opening Day on March 27 in Toronto against the division-rival Blue Jays. Eflin gets the nod with fellow right-hander Grayson Rodriguez (elbow) opening the year on the injured list. The 30-year-old veteran closed out the year in Baltimore after the O's acquired him in a trade with the division-rival Tampa Bay Rays, and he'll start the first game of the year heading into his first full season in Baltimore. Eflin has allowed four earned runs with two walks and only one strikeout in two Grapefruit League starts, but he had a sharp 2.60 ERA, 47 K's and 11 walks in 55 1/3 inning over nine starts to close out last year with the Orioles. While Eflin continues to rarely walk people, his drop in strikeout percentage in 2024 could be concerning. Treat him as a back-end fantasy starting pitcher with a shaky DFS matchup on Opening Day.

Baltimore Orioles right-hander Zach Eflin has been named the team's starter for Game 2 in a must-win contest on Wednesday at Camden Yards in the wild-card series versus the visiting Kansas City Royals. Baltimore's backs are against the wall in the three-game series after losing to the Royals 1-0 on Tuesday despite an excellent showing from right-handed starter Corbin Burnes. They'll now turn to Eflin, who allowed three earned runs in 4 2/3 innings for a no-decision in his last start of the year on Sept. 25 against the New York Yankees. The 30-year-old pitched well in nine starts for the O's, though, after being acquired from the Rays at the trade deadline in July, posting a 2.60 ERA and 1.12 WHIP with 47 K's and 11 walks in 55 1/3 innings. Eflin's lone start against KC this year while with the Rays didn't go so well, as he allowed six runs (five earned) with a walk and three K's in five innings, although he recorded a win.

Baltimore Orioles starting pitcher Zach Eflin made his return from the injured list and took the mound against the Colorado Rockies on Sunday. The right-hander missed two starts due to shoulder inflammation, but showed no signs of rust on Sunday. Eflin allowed only one run while striking out nine batters over seven innings of work. He's 5-0 with an impressive 1.95 ERA since joining the O's at the trade deadline. His next start is set to be against his former team the Tampa Bay Rays next weekend. Eflin is looking like a must-start fantasy option for that game.