MARCH 14, 2023 • MLB.COM
Bautista returns from injury with perfect spring debut BRADENTON, Fla. -- Before Félix Bautista was a lockdown reliever, he got a small taste of being a starter as a 22-year-old with the Orioles’...
Orioles observations on Félix Bautista's first outing, Jackson Holliday's reassignment and more Orioles closer Félix Bautista made his first appearance of the spring as the starter in Tuesday’s exhibition against the Pittsburgh Pirates,...
MARCH 14, 2023 • BALTIMORESUN.COM
Fans pair in spring debut Bautista (shoulder/knee) struck out two over a perfect inning Tuesday versus the Pirates in his Grapefruit League debut.
Impact Bautista touched 99 mph on the radar gun, per Nathan Ruiz of The Baltimore Sun. He'll make another appearance Friday and an additional 2-3 after that in preparation of Opening Day. The Orioles slow-played Bautista this spring after last year's shoulder and knee issues, but those injuries no longer appear to be of concern.
MARCH 14, 2023 • ROTOWIRE
Cleared for spring debut Bautista (shoulder/knee) will make his Grapefruit League debut Tuesday against the Pirates, Steve Melewski of MASNSports.com reports.
Impact Bautista and the Orioles had been eyeing Thursday for his spring debut, but that timeline was apparently moved up a couple days. It's a good sign that Bautista's shoulder and knee aren't a concern anymore, which matches reports of how his bullpens and live batting practice sessions have looked. "The Mountain" is on track to be ready to roll for the O's on Opening Day as the club's clear closer.
MARCH 13, 2023 • ROTOWIRE
Targeting Thursday for spring debut Bautista (shoulder/knee) is aiming to make his Grapefruit League debut Thursday versus the Blue Jays, Steve Melewski of MASNSports.com reports.
Impact Bautista is expected to get in at least one live batting practice session before he is ready for game action. He's been throwing bullpens for the last two weeks after battling shoulder and knee soreness early in the spring. Despite debuting late in the spring, the closer is still on track to be ready for Opening Day.
MARCH 11, 2023 • ROTOWIRE
Advancing to live work next week Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said Wednesday that Bautista (shoulder/knee) is on track to throw live batting practice next week, Rich Dubroff of BaltimoreBaseball.com reports.
Impact The 27-year-old has yet to make his spring debut while battling shoulder and knee soreness, but he's been gradually ramping up through bullpen sessions over the past two weeks and should be ready to take the next meaningful step forward in his buildup process within the next few days. Assuming Bautista is able to get in an appearance or two in a Grapefruit League game or minor-league game on the back fields at some point before spring training ends, he should be ready to handle closing duties for the Orioles by the time Opening Day arrives.
MARCH 8, 2023 • ROTOWIRE
Continues with bullpen sessions Bautista (shoulder/knee) felt good after throwing a bullpen session Wednesday, Andy Kostka of The Baltimore Sun reports.
Impact The 27-year-old continues upping his intensity on the mound and is scheduled for another bullpen session Saturday. It's unclear when Bautista will be cleared for game action, but he appears to be close to throwing against live hitters.
MARCH 1, 2023 • ROTOWIRE
Completes bullpen session Manager Brandon Hyde said Bautista (shoulder/knee) bounced back well after Saturday's bullpen session, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.
Impact The right-hander upped his intensity to about 80-to-85 percent for Saturday's session and should continue ramping things up this week. Assuming Bautista is able to pitch at full effort in the near future, it shouldn't take long for him to advance to facing live batters.
FEBRUARY 26, 2023 • ROTOWIRE
To up effort level Saturday Bautista (shoulder/knee) will throw another bullpen session Saturday and will up his effort level to around 80-85 percent, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.
Impact Bautista threw a less intense bullpen session Tuesday and will now ramp things up a bit more this weekend. The Orioles have elected to proceed cautiously with their closer this spring after he dealt with shoulder and knee soreness late last season. It's not clear when Bautista might be cleared for Grapefruit League action.
FEBRUARY 24, 2023 • ROTOWIRE
Throws bullpen session Bautista (shoulder/knee) threw a bullpen session without issue Tuesday, Andy Kostka of The Baltimore Banner reports.
Impact "I felt really good the entire time, I feel healthy," Bautista said through a translator after the throwing session. The big reliever is being eased into action this spring after ending last season with shoulder and knee issues. The hope remains that Bautista will be ready for Opening Day, although it's not a given.
FEBRUARY 21, 2023 • ROTOWIRE
Bullpen session planned for Tuesday Bautista (shoulder/knee) said that he expects to throw another bullpen session Tuesday at approximately 75-to-80 percent intensity, Andy Kostka of The Baltimore Sun reports.
Impact Bautista is gradually building back up from left knee soreness and right shoulder soreness, injuries that both affected him late in the 2022 season. Despite the fact that the Orioles are taking a deliberate approach with him this spring and plan to hold the 27-year-old out of Grapefruit League games until around mid-March, Bautista still appears to be trending toward being ready to go for Opening Day. If Bautista doesn't progress as anticipated and needs to open the season on the injured list, however, manager Brandon Hyde mentioned Cionel Perez and Bryan Baker as candidates to get opportunities early on to close games, according to Jake Rill of MLB.com.
FEBRUARY 20, 2023 • ROTOWIRE
Here's where Bautista's health, O's closing situation stand SARASOTA, Fla. -- At this time one year ago, Orioles manager Brandon Hyde had never even seen Félix Bautista throw off a mound in person. No...
FEBRUARY 18, 2023 • MLB.COM
Targeting games in mid-March Bautista (knee/shoulder) is expected to be game-ready by mid-March, Nathan Ruiz of The Baltimore Sun reports.
Impact Bautista's breakout 2022 campaign saw him deal with both knee soreness and arm fatigue in September. Neither issue sounded major at the time, but the fact that he came into camp with both problems still lingering was discouraging. While the injuries add risk to his profile this spring, it's possible they don't wind up costing him any game time, as he can still be ramped up by Opening Day if he gets the chance to appear in four or five Grapefruit League contests. He's already thrown a bullpen session without discomfort, albeit at 70 percent, per Dan Connolly of The Athletic.
FEBRUARY 18, 2023 • ROTOWIRE
Dan Connolly: Orioles closer Felix Bautista believes he will... - The Athletic Orioles closer Felix Bautista believes he will be ready for Opening Day, assuming he can get in four to five innings during Grapefruit Leagu...
FEBRUARY 18, 2023 • THEATHLETIC.COM
Slowed by knee, shoulder injuries Bautista will be delayed this spring while recovering from knee and shoulder injuries, Dan Connolly of The Athletic reports.
Impact Bautista ended last season on the injured list with left knee soreness. He also missed a little time in September with what the Orioles referred to at the time simply as arm fatigue, but it's fair to assume now that it was shoulder related. The Orioles expect Bautista to pitch in some Grapefruit League games and think he has a chance to be ready for Opening Day, but this is certainly not the news you want to hear at the beginning of camp. With Dillon Tate (elbow) also sidelined, Mychal Givens might see some save chances if Bautista misses time.
FEBRUARY 16, 2023 • ROTOWIRE
Félix Bautista used to dream of being a closer. Now that he's here, the Orioles right-hander isn't settling. Shortly after the season concluded this month, Orioles right-hander Félix Bautista boarded a plane to return to the Dominican Republic. It’s...
OCTOBER 19, 2022 • BALTIMORESUN.COM
Shifts to IL The Orioles placed Bautista (knee) on the 15-day injured list Monday.
Impact Bautista's move to the IL came just minutes after the rookie would be shut down for the remainder of the season due to left knee discomfort. The 27-year-old should be fully recovered from the injury well in advance of spring training and will be the odds-on favorite to open the 2023 campaign as the Orioles' closer, barring the addition of some veteran competition over the weekend. Bautista finished his first season in the big leagues with 15 saves in 17 chances to go with a 2.19 ERA, 0.93 WHIP and 88 strikeouts over 65.2 innings.
OCTOBER 3, 2022 • ROTOWIRE
Shut down for season Orioles manager Brandon Hyde confirmed Monday that Bautista (knee) won't be available for the team's final three games of the season, Nathan Ruiz of The Baltimore Sun reports.
Impact Bautista has been tending to left knee discomfort since his latest relief appearance Friday against the Yankees, and with the Orioles having recently been eliminated from playoff contention, Hyde won't ask his closer to pitch at less-than-optimal health. The injury is only a minor blemish on what was a spectacular rookie campaign for the 27-year-old, who converted 15 saves and gathered 14 holds while submitting a 2.19 ERA, 0.93 WHIP and 88:23 K:BB across 65.2 innings. Fortunately for Bautista, all tests on his knee came back clean, so he should be in store for a relatively normal offseason, according to Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.
OCTOBER 3, 2022 • ROTOWIRE
Still experiencing knee soreness Bautista still has some soreness in his left knee Sunday, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.
Impact Bautista struck out two in a scoreless inning Friday but reported knee soreness after the game and hasn't pitched since. With the Orioles eliminated from the playoff mix, it would not be surprising to see them let their gigantic power reliever rest his knee for the rest of the regular season.
OCTOBER 2, 2022 • ROTOWIRE
Dealing with knee soreness Bautista, who struck out two in a scoreless eighth inning Friday against the Yankees, is dealing with left knee soreness, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.
Impact Bautista came in for a high-leverage spot and got the job done, but he was apparently pitching at less than 100 percent by the time he exited the game. DL Hall got the save Friday. It's unclear if Bautista will be available for Baltimore's next game, but he said he thinks he will pitch again this season.
OCTOBER 1, 2022 • ROTOWIRE
Blows save, takes loss Bautista (4-4) blew the save and took the loss Saturday against the Astros. He allowed four runs on four hits and two walks while striking out two over 1.1 innings.
Impact Bautista relieved Dillon Tate in the top of the eighth with one out and a runner on first. After getting Kyle Tucker to strike out swinging, Bautista served up a double to Yui Gurriel to drive home Yordan Alvarez and tie the game up at 7-7. The right-hander came back out in the ninth and gave up a leadoff single and a walk to start the inning before ultimately being tagged for four runs. It was just Bautista's second blown save of the season and the first time he's been charged with a loss since July 31.
SEPTEMBER 25, 2022 • ROTOWIRE
Records one-out save Bautista picked up the save in Thursday's 2-0 win over the Astros. He did not allow a run while recording a strikeout over one-third of an inning.
Impact Bautista has converted the save on 13 straight opportunities, recording a 1.99 ERA over 22.2 innings in 20 outings during that span; however, during his last three appearances prior to this outing, the righty had allowed two runs and six baserunners over four innings.
SEPTEMBER 23, 2022 • ROTOWIRE
Picks up 14th save Bautista recorded the save Sunday in Toronto, allowing a run on a hit and two walks while striking out one in the ninth inning of a 5-4 win.
Impact Bautista retired the first two batters before issuing a walk and allowing a run-scoring double to make it a 5-4 game. After another walk he got Bo Bichette to ground out to end the game. It was his 14th save in 15 tries and his fourth save in September. He's been a little shaky in his last four outings, allowing a couple of runs and walking four batters in five innings of work.
SEPTEMBER 18, 2022 • ROTOWIRE
Félix comin': Bautista embraces closer role with five-out save BALTIMORE -- Félix Bautista has been alerted as to where his viral entrance originates, though he hasn’t seen the entirety of “The Wire” qui...
AUGUST 24, 2022 • MLB.COM
