Zach Eflin DVOA, Advanced Stats, & Fantasy Rankings

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.

Baltimore Orioles starting pitcher Zach Eflin (shoulder) has been activated from the 15-day injured list ahead of Sunday's game against the Colorado Rockies. The good news is that Eflin was only forced to miss the minimum amount of time due to shoulder inflammation. Eflin was average during his 19 starts with the Tampa Bay Rays this season, but he has turned it on since being traded to the O's. He has a 2.13 ERA, 1.03 WHIP and 25/2 K/BB ratio across four starts with his new team. Despite pitching in Colorado, Eflin should be a solid streaming option for Sunday's slate.

Baltimore Orioles right-hander Zach Eflin (shoulder) could come off the 15-day injured list to start on Sunday against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field, according to manager Brandon Hyde. Eflin was scheduled to throw a bullpen session on Thursday in what is one of the final hurdles for him. Hitter-friendly Coors Field isn't the ideal place to make your first start off the IL, but the way that the 30-year-old had been pitching before his shoulder injury will probably persuade fantasy managers to roll the dice. In his first four starts with the O's after being acquired in a trade with the Tampa Bay Rays, he gave up only six earned runs on 24 hits while walking only two and striking out 25 in 25 1/3 innings for four wins. He wasn't nearly good in his 19 starts with Tampa, going 5-7 with a 4.09 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and 87 punchouts in 110 frames.

Baltimore Orioles right-hander Zach Eflin (shoulder) sounds pretty confident that he'll be ready to return from the 15-day injured list when he's first eligible on Sept. 1. When asked if he'll be ready after 15 days, he said, "Absolutely. As I stand today, yeah, for sure. I'm not even remotely focusing on rehab starts." Eflin said his right shoulder already feels "10 times better" than it did earlier this week. The 30-year-old was put on the IL on Tuesday with inflammation in his right shoulder, but as things sound now, he won't need any rehab assignments before returning to the O's rotation. Eflin's fantasy managers are surely hoping he's right in his assessment of his injury and his timeline for a return. In his first four starts with Baltimore since being acquired from the Tampa Bay Rays, Eflin has a 2.13 ERA with only two walks and 25 strikeouts in 25 1/3 innings.