Orioles' Felix Bautista: Shifted to 60-day injured list
Rotowire
The Orioles transferred Bautista (shoulder) from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day injured list Friday.
The move frees up a spot on the 40-man roster. Bautista will be sidelined until at least late next season following surgery earlier this week to repair a torn labrum and torn rotator cuff in his right shoulder.
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Orioles' Felix Bautista: Undergoes shoulder surgery
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Bautista underwent surgery Tuesday to repair a torn labrum and torn rotator cuff in his right shoulder, and he is expected to be sidelined at least 12 months, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.
The Orioles had previously ruled Bautista out for the season with what they referred to as a significant shoulder injury, but the reliever requiring both a labrum and rotator cuff repair is about the worst-case scenario. While the club seems to be leaving open the possibility that Bautista could return late in the 2026 season, it's likelier he's out until the 2027 campaign. Additionally, with the nature of the operation, there's a chance Bautista is never an effective pitcher again. The 30-year-old will be eligible for salary arbitration in 2026 and 2027.
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Orioles' Felix Bautista: Facing extended absence
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Orioles interim manager Tony Mansolino said Monday that Bautista is going to be "out a while" after an MRI showed significant swelling in the pitcher's right shoulder, Jake Rill of MLB.com reports.
The silver lining is that Bautista does not have any structural damage. However, with the amount of inflammation in his shoulder, he's looking at an absence that will last weeks, not days. With the Orioles not in playoff contention, it's fair to wonder how much of a contribution, if any, he will make the rest of this season. Seranthony Dominguez is the current favorite to see the bulk of the save chances for Baltimore down the stretch, though he is a possibility to be traded.
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Orioles' Felix Bautista: Notches 17th save
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Bautista pitched a perfect ninth inning Friday to record his 17th save of the season in a 3-2 win over Atlanta.
He didn't strike out a batter in an appearance for the first time since June 4, but it was still another impressive performance from Bautista. The right-hander has blown only one save chance all season, and since May 26 he's gone 10-for-10 with a 1.20 ERA, 0.87 WHIP and 26:8 K:BB through 15 innings.
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Orioles' Felix Bautista: Collects 16th save
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Bautista struck out two batters in a perfect ninth inning to come away with the save in Friday's 5-3 win over the Yankees.
Bautista needed 17 pitches (11 strikes) to convert the save opportunity, forcing a flyout from Trent Grisham before striking out Aaron Judge and Jazz Chisholm. Bautista has converted on each of his last nine save opportunities, and over that span he sports a 0.82 ERA, 0.82 WHIP and 19:6 K:BB across 11 innings. His 16 saves are tied with Emmanuel Clase and Trevor Megill for eighth most in the majors this season.
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Orioles' Felix Bautista: Converts 15th save
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Bautista struck out two in a perfect inning to earn the save in Thursday's 4-1 win over the Rays.
Bautista had to work for it, throwing 12 of 21 pitches for strikes despite not allowing a baserunner. He's on an eight-inning scoreless streak with a 13:5 K:BB and has allowed just one hit during that span. Bautista struggled at times in May with a 5.59 ERA in 10 outings, but he's rounded back into form with his recent dominant stretch. He's at a 2.81 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 34:17 K:BB through 25.2 innings while converting 15 of his 16 save chances this season.
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Orioles' Felix Bautista: Secures save No. 10
Rotowire
Bautista walked two and struck out three in a scoreless ninth inning Saturday to record his 10th save of the season in a 4-2 win over the White Sox.
The right-hander had some trouble finding the plate as he pitched on back-to-back days for just the second time this season, tossing only 11 of 23 pitches for strikes, However, after putting the potential tying run aboard with one out, Bautista rallied to strike out Luis Robert and Austin Slater. Bautista has been struggling over the last few weeks, posting a 7.04 ERA, 1.96 WHIP and 10:8 K:BB over his past 7.2 innings, but he's still converted three of his four save chances during that span.
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Orioles' Felix Bautista: Collects eighth save
Rotowire
Bautista secured the save in Monday's 5-2 win against St. Louis, pitching a clean inning with two strikeouts.
The flamethrowing right-hander required only 10 pitches, seven which were strikes, to convert his 56th career save. Bautista has been less than stellar in May, allowing five runs with an 8:5 K:BB across 7.2 innings. Despite the recent string of subpar performance, he remains cemented as the Baltimore closer with a 3.78 ERA, 1.30 WHIP and 19:11 K:BB through 16.2 total innings.
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Orioles' Felix Bautista: Blows first save 2025
Rotowire
Bautista gave up a run on one hit and two walks in the ninth inning Wednesday to blow his first save of the season in an 8-4 extra-innings win over the Brewers. He struck out one.
With the Orioles nursing a 3-2 lead, Bautista came in and fanned Rhys Hoskins to begin the ninth, but walks to Sal Frelick and Jake Bauers set up Caleb Durbin to slap a game-tying single into right field. Bautista has now been tagged for at least one run in four straight appearances while posting a 3:5 K:BB in 3.2 innings, and the rough stretch has sent his ERA soaring from 1.64 to 4.30. There's been no indication that the right-hander's spot as Baltimore's closer is in jeopardy, but Andrew Kittredge's return from the IL on Wednesday gives new manager Tony Mansolino another high-leverage option to turn to if he decides to make a change.
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Orioles' Felix Bautista: Tagged with loss
Rotowire
Bautista (0-1) allowed one run on one hit and two walks in the ninth inning Friday versus Washington and came away with the loss. He did not record a strikeout.
Bautista was brought in for the ninth inning to keep the game tied at 3-3. He was one out shy from escaping the inning after issuing back-to-back walks, but he wasn't able to beat out Nasim Nunez to cover first base, and Bautista's late throw to home plate allowed Jose Tena to score from second. Bautista has given up one earned run in each of his last two outings and is now up to a 2.77 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 15:8 K:BB across 13 innings this season.
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Orioles' Felix Bautista: Continues impressive run
Rotowire
Bautista picked up the save in Friday's 4-1 win over the Angels after throwing a clean ninth inning. He struck out two.
Since giving up two runs in an appearance back in March, Bautista has strung together a nine-inning scoreless streak. The hard-throwing right-hander has posted an excellent 1.64 ERA, 1.00 WHIP and 14:6 K:BB while converting each of his seven save opportunities over 11 innings this season. Bautista struggled with his control in the early going -- he issued six free passes in his first five frames -- but he hasn't allowed a walk in his last six innings.
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Orioles' Felix Bautista: Earns sixth save
Rotowire
Bautista logged his sixth save of the season in Friday's 3-0 win over the Royals, striking out one batter in a perfect ninth inning.
Bautista was tasked with preserving the Orioles' three-run lead and needed just 12 pitches (nine strikes) to get through the inning, inducing two groundouts with a strikeout in between. Bautista has converted all six of his save opportunities this season and has yielded just three walks and two hits over his last eight appearances (all scoreless), striking out nine batters.
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Orioles' Felix Bautista: Up to five saves in 2025
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Bautista picked up the save in Wednesday's 5-4 win over the Yankees after throwing a clean ninth inning. He struck out one.
Eight of Bautista's 10 pitches landed for strikes, so it was a relatively easy night for the big right-hander. Bautista has pitched well in spite of a troublesome 15.8 percent walk rate in 2025 after missing all of last season due to Tommy John surgery, turning in a 2.00 ERA, 1.22 WHIP and 11:6 K:BB over nine innings while going a perfect 5-for-5 on save chances. The Orioles have just six save opportunities to date, which ranks 29th in the major leagues, and Bautista didn't see his first chance until the April 12 win over the Blue Jays.
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Orioles' Felix Bautista: Logs first save since 2023
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Bautista earned the save in Saturday's 5-4 win over the Blue Jays. He allowed two walks while striking out one batter in a scoreless ninth inning.
Bautista got the call from the bullpen to maintain the Orioles' one-run lead. He walked two batters in a row, and after forcing a groundout, he managed to close things out by striking out Bo Bichette. Bautista missed the entire 2024 season while rehabbing from Tommy John surgery that he underwent October of 2023, and Saturday's save was his first since Aug. 24, 2023, also against the Blue Jays.
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Orioles' Felix Bautista: Labors through ninth inning Monday
Rotowire
Bautista gave up two runs on two hits and two walks in the ninth inning during Monday's 8-5 win over the Red Sox.
Bautista labored Monday, needing 26 pitches to finish off the game. A Romy Gonzalez double and Jarren Duran single plated two runs to make this one interesting, but Alex Bregman popped out while representing the tying run to end the contest. Bautista is still working his way back into form after missing all of last season due to Tommy John surgery and likely won't work back-to-back days early on, but he'll have a day off before Wednesday's meeting with Boston.
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Orioles' Felix Bautista: Good to go for Opening Day
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Manager Brandon Hyde said Sunday that Bautista will be included on Baltimore's Opening Day roster, Andy Kostka of TheBaltimoreBanner.com reports.
There was some recent concern that Bautista wouldn't be ready to go for the start of the regular season, but the skipper put those thoughts to bed Sunday. The right-hander spent most of camp in ramp-up mode while working his way back from October 2023 Tommy John surgery, but he's been cleared after making five spring appearances. The 29-year-old recorded 33 saves with a 1.48 ERA during the 2023 regular season and should begin the campaign as the Orioles' closer.
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Orioles' Felix Bautista: Cleared for spring debut Monday
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Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said that Bautista (elbow) -- who will make his Grapefruit League debut Monday versus the Red Sox -- won't pitch back-to-back days or cover more than one inning early on in the season, Jake Rill of MLB.com reports.
Bautista projects to open the season as the Orioles' closer, barring any setbacks during his appearances in the spring as he makes his return from Tommy John surgery, which he underwent in October 2023. However, for occasions in which Bautista is unavailable, Hyde said he would "mix and match" at closer those days, with the manager naming Andrew Kittredge (knee), Gregory Soto and Seranthony Dominguez as options to fill in. Hyde noted that he'll apply the cautious usage of Bautista "especially in the first half." The Orioles don't seem to have a hard deadline for when the restrictions on Bautista will be lifted, as it likely just depends on how the pitcher looks and is bouncing back from outings.
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Orioles' Felix Bautista: Shines in latest bullpen session
Rotowire
Bautista (elbow) threw approximately 25 pitches Thursday in his second live batting practice session of the spring, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.
The hard-throwing right-hander faced Heston Kjerstad four times and Gary Sanchez three times during the session, recording three strikeouts among the seven plate appearances. Bautista is expected to throw live BP sessions on one or two more occasions before making his Grapefruit League debut in the first or second week of March. Manager Brandon Hyde has set seven spring appearances -- either in Grapefruit League games or on the back fields at camp -- as the benchmark Bautista needs to hit to make himself an option for the Opening Day bullpen.
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Orioles' Felix Bautista: Should be full go by Opening Day
Rotowire
Bautista (elbow) said Friday that he's throwing at about 85 percent and is confident he will be 100 percent by Opening Day, Jake Rill of MLB.com reports.
Bautista is 16 months removed from Tommy John surgery and is being eased into things this spring. He has been throwing off a mound since August but is not expected to pitch in Grapefruit League games until late in spring training. While Bautista is expected to be ready to serve as the Orioles' closer on Opening Day, the club doesn't figure to commit to him in the role until they see how he looks and feels this spring.
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Orioles' Felix Bautista: Expected to be full go in spring
Rotowire
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.
