SARASTOA, Fla. — Zach Eflin walked into manager Brandon Hyde’s office Friday and expected it to be a normal meeting.

Then Hyde handed him an iPad with Eflin’s wife, three daughters and newborn son on FaceTime.

“One, two, three, blastoff!” those who could talk yelled.

“You’re the opening day starter,” they told him.

Eflin broke out into a big smile, and he got a few moments with his family before he had to hang up and talk to the Orioles’ staff seated around him. Eflin had to leave his family just 48 hours after his son was born to report to camp, so finding out from them that the ball will be his when the Orioles open the season in Toronto on March 27 was extra special.

“I’m getting chills right now,” Eflin said. “I don’t know a better way to find out than from the people you love the most.”

He’s hoping they’ll be there — if they can find their passports.

“I don’t know how realistic it is for four kids under 3 to go through customs and everything — I would probably be happy that I’m not going to be a part of that process — but I’m hoping we can find their passports,” he said. “I probably shouldn’t be telling you this because I’m probably going to get a lot of crap later from my wife, but I would love for them to be there. Just the simple fact of finding out from them was more than anything I could ask for.”

Eflin didn’t begin camp as the clear No. 1, but, with Grayson Rodriguez dealing with elbow inflammation and out for “some time,” it became likely that Eflin was going to be the guy.

“He’s very appreciative, and he understands how much it means,” Hyde said. “That was a really cool moment.”

Eflin, entering his second season with the Orioles after the team acquired him at the trade deadline, pitched to a 2.60 ERA in nine starts with Baltimore. He also started the second game of the American League Wild Card Series, allowing one run in four innings.

It wasn’t just his on-field performance that impressed Hyde last year. The Orioles also noticed how quickly he acclimated to the team — he’s even living with the young Orioles core this spring — and the example he set for others.

“He was just so steady last year,” Hyde said. “He gave us a chance every start; he made a great start in the postseason for us. He’s just been a great teammate; he pulls for guys on the days he doesn’t start. He goes about his business the right way every single day; he’s so professional. He’s one for a young pitcher to definitely follow; he just does everything right.”

It’s the second opening day start for the right-hander — Eflin got the nod last year for the Rays.

“Going through situations you’ve never been in, like last year for me being opening day, you treat it just like any other game, right, but now that I’ve done it before I kind of know how to prepare myself,” Eflin said. “Anxiety might be a little more heightened on opening day, anxiety might be a little more heightened throughout the year and in the playoffs, but you have those experiences and you learn from it and you understand that it’s a game you’ve been playing since you were 4 years old. Nothing really changes, just very blessed and humbled and appreciative that they trust me like that.”

The Orioles will open the season with a four-game series in Toronto and then fly home for the home opener with no day off, so the fifth starter will likely get the home opener March 31. With Rodriguez out, the Orioles’ rotation currently includes Eflin, Charlie Morton, Dean Kremer and Tomoyuki Sugano, with Cade Povich and Albert Suárez in contention for the last spot.

The Orioles are hopeful that Rodriguez’s absence will be short, but he is shut down for seven to 10 days after receiving a cortisone injection. He will then have to restart his ramp-up and go through a throwing progression.

Hyde also said Friday that Jorge Mateo, who had Tommy John reconstructive elbow surgery in August, is doubtful to be ready for Opening Day. The utility player could make his first Grapefruit League appearance soon. That would be his first game action since hurting his elbow in Miami.