Orioles' Felix Bautista: Expected to be full go in spring
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Orioles general manager Mike Elias said Thursday that he expects Bautista (elbow) to more or less be without restrictions at the start of spring training, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.
Bautista started throwing off the mound in August and will be 16 months removed from Tommy John surgery by February. As long as he looks good during Grapefruit League play, he should regain the closer role for Baltimore heading into 2025. Bautista posted a 1.48 ERA, 0.92 WHIP and 110:26 K:BB over 61 innings while notching 33 saves in 2023.
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Orioles' Felix Bautista: First post-surgery bullpen session
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Bautista (elbow) threw a bullpen session Wednesday, Jake Rill of MLB.com reports.
Bautista threw off the mound for the first time since he had Tommy John surgery last October. He has already been ruled out for a return in 2024, but Bautista should be in store for a relatively normal offseason and enter spring training with little-to-no restrictions.
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Orioles' Felix Bautista: Starts playing catch
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Bautista (elbow) played catch Friday, Danielle Allentuck of TheBaltimoreBanner.com reports.
Bautista is continuing to rehab from October 2023 Tommy John surgery and a follow-up procedure in February. While a 2024 return hasn't been ruled out and Friday's progress is encouraging, it's highly unlikely Bautista will be back on a mound for the O's this season.
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Orioles' Felix Bautista: Shifts to 60-day IL
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The Orioles placed Bautista (elbow) on the 60-day injured list Wednesday.
Bautista will miss the entire 2024 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery in October followed by a right elbow debridement and an ulnar nerve transposition procedure last week. Baltimore brought in veteran right-hander Craig Kimbrel on a one-year, $13 million contract in December and will install him as the closer this season while Bautista completes his rehab.
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Orioles' Felix Bautista: Undergoes additional elbow surgery
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Bautista underwent a right elbow debridement and an ulnar nerve transposition Friday, Jake Rill of MLB.com reports.
The first part of the operation cleaned up scar tissue in the elbow, while the second moved the nerve to free it up from compression. While not routine, follow-up procedures are sometimes needed for pitchers recovering from Tommy John surgery. Bautista's recovery is going well and the Orioles do not expect his readiness for the 2025 campaign to be affected.
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Orioles' Felix Bautista: Will throw again Tuesday
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Orioles manager Brandon Hyde told Dani Wexelman of MLB Network Radio that Bautista (elbow) will throw again Tuesday.
"He's feeling good," Hyde said. "He's going to throw today, we're just monitoring it right now. I'm know we're running out of time a little bit. That's the only update I can give. We'll see how he is tomorrow, if he throws well today we'll continue to progress it. But he hasn't thrown enough, he's had about a month off. We only have six games left...depending on how he feels, there is an injury in there, we wanna be smart." Hyde doesn't appear to be terribly optimistic that Bautista could return before the end of the regular season, although the reliever has seemingly already progressed more quickly than expected from his UCL tear so nothing can be ruled out. Ultimately, the Orioles' main goal figures to be getting Bautista back for the postseason, but there remains work to be done.
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Orioles' Felix Bautista: Advances to mound work
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Bautista (elbow) threw a bullpen session Sunday in Baltimore, Nathan Ruiz of The Baltimore Sun reports.
It was his first mound workout since he was diagnosed three weeks ago with a partial tear of the UCL in his right elbow. Bautista appeared to be using his entire arsenal, per Ruiz, which is another encouraging development as the 28-year-old aims to return to the Orioles' active roster prior to the end of the regular season. Yennier Cano has been filling in as the O's primary closer.
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Orioles' Felix Bautista: Advances to long-toss
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Bautista (elbow) threw long-toss Friday in Baltimore, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.
Bautista has been sidelined since late August due to a partial tear of the UCL in his right elbow, but he's been making steady progress and is aiming to return at some point before the end of the regular season. He'll probably have to advance to mound work within the next week to achieve that goal. Yennier Cano is currently positioned as the Orioles' primary closer.
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Orioles' Felix Bautista: Chance to pitch again in '23
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General manager Mike Elias confirmed Monday that Bautista (elbow) is dealing with a partial tear of his UCL, but the Orioles maintain hope that the right-hander will be able to pitch again in 2023, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.
Though the Orioles plan to take a conservative approach with Bautista's recovery from the acute ligament injury, he's already resumed playing catch and hasn't required any platelet-rich plasma injections for his right elbow, per Nathan Ruiz of The Baltimore Sun. Elias suggested that the Orioles will continue to see how Bautista's elbow responds as the All-Star closer gradually ramps up the intensity of his throwing, but the 28-year-old is without a clear target date to return from the 15-day injured list. Additionally, Elias noted that surgery isn't necessarily off the table for Bautista, but the Orioles are likely to wait until the offseason before exploring any potential procedure.
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Orioles' Felix Bautista: Gets MRI, could need more tests
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Manager Brandon Hyde said Sunday that Bautista has received an MRI on his injured right elbow, but the Orioles will wait for the inflammation in the pitcher's arm to subside before a decision is made on his next steps, Jake Rill of MLB.com reports.
The standout closer was placed on the 15-day IL on Aug. 26 with what the Orioles described as a UCL injury, but the severity of the issue still hasn't been disclosed. Once some of the elbow inflammation clears up, Bautista could get more tests that may shed more light on the extent of his injury. Regardless, Bautista appears safe to rule out for returning from the IL when first eligible next weekend, and even if he's able to steer clear of elbow surgery, he won't necessarily be a lock to pitch again in 2023.
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Orioles' Felix Bautista: Undergoing tests on sore arm
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Bautista is undergoing tests after exiting Friday's appearance against the Rockies due to right arm discomfort, Jacob Calvin Meyer of The Baltimore Sun reports.
Bautista was just one strike away from a save when he was lifted from the outing after delivering a 102.3 mph fastball. Orioles manager Brandon Hyde declined to go into more specifics when asked about the exact nature of the righty's injury, adding only that "when the best closer in the game leaves the game, it's never a good feeling." Yennier Cano would be the obvious choice to step in as Baltimore's closer should Bautista need to miss time. Danny Coulombe got a one-out save in relief of Bautista on Friday and could also be in the mix.
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Orioles' Felix Bautista: Leaves save chance with injury
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Bautista was removed from a save appearance versus the Rockies on Friday with an undisclosed injury, Steve Melewski of MASNSports.com reports.
Bautista was one strike away from putting the game on ice but evidently tweaked something while delivering a 102.3 mph fastball to Michael Toglia. The closer was visited by the trainer before exiting the field, and he'll likely be sent for testing. Danny Coulombe then needed just one pitch to strike out Toglia and secure an Orioles win.
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Orioles' Felix Bautista: Collects eighth win
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Bautista (8-2) struck out one in a perfect inning to earn the extra-inning win over the Athletics on Saturday.
Bautista needed just nine pitches to set the Athletics down in order in the bottom of the ninth inning, and the Orioles' offense exploded for five runs in the top of the 10th. Aside from his five runs allowed against Houston over two appearances earlier this month, Bautista has been virtually untouchable for much of the last two months. He's 32-for-38 in save chances with a 1.54 ERA, 0.96 WHIP and 109:26 K:BB through 58.1 innings overall. Given that this was his first outing since Monday, Bautista should be available if another save chance arises Sunday.
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Orioles' Felix Bautista: Picks up extra-inning win
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Bautista (7-2) allowed a hit and struck out four over two scoreless innings to earn the extra-inning win Saturday over the Mariners.
Offense was at a premium Saturday, but Bautista made sure the Mariners saw none of it. He kept the game scoreless in the ninth inning and then protected a 1-0 lead in the 10th to pick up the win. Bautista allowed five runs over 1.2 innings across his previous two appearances, both against Houston, but prior to that shaky stretch, he'd posted a 17-inning scoreless streak. Even with the recent struggles, he has a 1.60 ERA, 0.96 WHIP, 108:24 K:BB and 31 saves in 37 chances through 56.1 innings this season as one of the best relievers in baseball.
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Orioles' Felix Bautista: Struggles in 31st save
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Bautista picked up the save in Thursday's 5-4 win over the Astros, allowing one run on two hits and two walks over one inning.
Bautista entered the game with a two-run lead in the ninth inning and got Jake Meyers to fly out before things got dicey. The right-handed reliever surrendered a double to Jose Altuve and then proceeded to walk two of the next three batters, setting up an RBI single for Yainer Diaz. Bautista was still able to escape with his 31st save of the season, though he's now allowed runs in back-to-back appearances after previously not allowing a run since June 24.
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Orioles' Felix Bautista: Rare misstep versus Houston
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Bautista dropped to 6-2 after allowing four runs on three hits and a walk while striking out two over two-thirds of an inning in a blown save in Tuesday's 7-6 loss to the Astros.
Bautista had converted 10 straight save chances and had a 17-inning scoreless streak dating back to June. He needed 30 pitches to get his two outs, but he gave up a grand slam to Kyle Tucker to blow the save while allowing multiple runs for the first time since April 1. Bautista still has a 1.52 ERA, 0.92 WHIP and 104:22 K:BB with 30 saves in 36 chances through 53.1 innings this year. He's earned the benefit of the doubt that this is one bad outing and not the beginning of a late-season collapse.
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Orioles' Felix Bautista: Secures five-out save
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Bautista walked two batters over 1.2 scoreless innings Monday, striking out three and earning a save over the Blue Jays.
Bautista tossed a season-high 35 pitches while picking up his 29th save. He was unbelievable in July, firing 14 shutout frames with a 25:4 K:BB while allowing just three hits. His season ERA is down to 0.87 with a 101:21 K:BB across 51.2 innings. Bautista hasn't given up an earned run since his last blown save June 24.
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Orioles' Felix Bautista: Perfect for save No. 27
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Bautista picked up the save in Saturday's 6-5 victory over the Rays. He struck out two over a perfect inning.
Saturday's outing marked Bautista's seventh time not allowing a hit over his last eight appearances (10.1 innings), while also collecting his 27th save of 2023. Through 44 games (48 innings), Bautista boasts the third-most saves in MLB while owning an elite 0.94 ERA and a 93:19 K:BB.
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Orioles' Felix Bautista: Collects extra-inning win
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Bautista (5-1) earned the win Thursday versus the Rays. He hit a batter and struck out three without surrendering a hit or a walk over two scoreless innings.
Bautista kept the game tied in the ninth inning and protected a one-run lead in the 10th. He erased his plunking of Luke Raley with a double play to end the game. Bautista is on an 11.1-inning scoreless streak, giving up just seven baserunners while posting a 20:2 K:BB in that span. The Baltimore closer has a dominant 0.96 ERA, 0.85 WHIP and career-high 91 strikeouts through 47 innings while adding 26 saves in 31 chances this season.
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Orioles' Felix Bautista: Records 26th save
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Bautista picked up the save Wednesday against the Dodgers, allowing one hit while striking out one over a scoreless inning.
Bautista needed only 12 pitches to get through the top of the ninth and record his 26th save. The right-handed reliever has only allowed one baserunner over his last three appearances and lowered his season ERA to 1.00 with Wednesday's scoreless outing. He's given up just one run and has a 40:3 K:BB in his past 19 outings.
