NEW YORK — The Orioles’ pitching injuries continue to pile up.

The club announced Tuesday afternoon that they have placed starter Zach Eflin, perhaps their best pitcher since he was acquired at the trade deadline, on the 15-day injured list with right shoulder inflammation. He was scheduled to start Wednesday afternoon against the Mets in New York, and manager Brandon Hyde says the team has not yet determined who will take the ball in his place. Hyde didn’t rule out the possibility of a bullpen game.

Rookie left-hander Cade Povich, who started for the Orioles on Saturday to give the rest of the rotation an extra day of rest, has been recalled from Triple-A Norfolk to take Eflin’s place on the roster. Baltimore also placed left-handed reliever Keegan Akin on the paternity list and recalled right-hander Dillon Tate.

“Hopefully it’s just short term,” Hyde said of Eflin’s injury. “After his start, his shoulder was a little bit sore. It had been getting better these last few days and so we’re kind of hopeful but also a little bit concerned about him making the start tomorrow, and had him come out and throw a little bit today. We just feel like the best, right thing to do right now is to give him a little bit extra time with his shoulder. We’re optimistic that he’s going to be able to not miss much time after the IL [minimum], if any.”

Eflin is 4-0 with a 2.13 ERA with 25 strikeouts and just two walks across 25 1/3 innings since the Tampa Bay Rays dealt him to the Orioles for three prospects on July 26. The 30-year-old right-hander allowed one run on five hits while striking out eight across six innings in his most recent start against the Boston Red Sox on Thursday, but Hyde said after his outing that Eflin was pulled at 87 pitches because of fatigue. Eflin isn’t scheduled to undergo imaging on his shoulder; he is going to rest it over the next few days before the team reevaluates his condition.

Hyde ruled out moving ace Corbin Burnes up a day to start Wednesday on regular rest. Left-hander Cole Irvin is rested in Triple-A, but he was designated for assignment after the trade deadline and would have to be added back to their 40-man roster to be recalled. Pitching prospect Chayce McDermott is on the minor league IL with a shoulder injury and fellow Norfolk starter Brandon Young would not be ready in time after starting Sunday.

Eflin is one of eight pitchers on the Orioles’ IL, the latest blow for a staff that has been decimated by injuries this season. Most notably, starters Kyle Bradish, John Means and Tyler Wells are all sidelined with season-ending elbow injuries that required surgery. Starter Grayson Rodriguez (lat/teres) and relievers Danny Coulombe (elbow surgery) and Jacob Webb (elbow inflammation) are all hoping to return in September. All-Star closer Félix Bautista has already been ruled out for 2024 as he works his way back from last year’s Tommy John elbow reconstruction.

“We’ve lost a lot of guys that could really help,” Hyde said. “This is a little bit part of it. We got pretty fortunate the last couple years and this year we’ve been hit with the injury bug. It happens. So, we got to keep going. Games aren’t going to stop and wait for guys. We have to have guys step up and other teams are having similar issues that we’re having also. So, hopefully we can get these guys back healthy in September, a few of them at least, and keep going.”

The Orioles entered Tuesday 73-53 and a half-game behind the New York Yankees for first place in the American League East. Baltimore has a 2 1/2-game lead over the Kansas City Royals and Minnesota Twins for the AL’s top wild-card spot. Akin, 29, pitched two scoreless innings in the Orioles’ 4-3 loss against the Mets on Monday night, striking out five of the six batters he faced before closer Seranthony Domínguez allowed a walk-off homer to catcher Francisco Alvarez in the bottom of the ninth. A Michigan native and former starting pitcher, Akin has a 3.52 ERA in 51 appearances out of the bullpen this season.

He and his wife, Jackie, will expand their family to four after their son Karson was born in early 2023. MLB’s paternity list rules permit players to miss up to three games before the team must reactive them.

Tate, 30, has been up and down between Baltimore and Triple-A Norfolk this season after missing all of 2023 with right elbow/forearm injuries, posting a 4.59 ERA in 29 appearances for the Orioles. His addition leaves Baltimore’s bullpen with only two left-handers: Cionel Pérez and Gregory Soto.

On Sunday, the Orioles called up right-hander Colin Selby, a midseason trade acquisition from the Kansas City Royals. The 26-year-old struck out three in 1 1/3 scoreless innings Monday night in his team debut.