Speaking to fans and members of the media at Orioles Fest on Friday night, Baltimore Orioles manager Brandon Hyde offered a crucial update on the injury status of one of his team’s star pitchers.
After missing the entirety of the 2024 campaign with an elbow injury and recovering from Tommy John surgery, closer Félix Bautista is poised to return to his role as the club’s ninth inning lockdown man during the upcoming season.
The news represents a major boost to its hope of re-establishing itself as one of the top teams in the American League, as the Orioles ranked 22nd in MLB in bullpen ERA as a team in 2024 after finishing fifth in the league in the same category the year prior.
MLB.com reporter Jake Rill posted that Hyde told attendees he has been watching Bautista throw at the organization’s spring training complex in Sarasota, Florida in recent weeks and that he “looks really good.”
Hyde’s update represents a continuation of Bautista’s status from December, indicating he has had no setbacks in his recovery and is still on track to appear on the team’s Opening Day roster.
That characterization should come as no surprise to anyone who has seen Bautista pitch in his career, as the 29-year-old instantly became one of the most dominant forces in MLB on the mound since his debut in 2022.
The native of Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic compiled a sterling rookie campaign that season, striking out 88 hitters in 65.2 innings pitched to the tune of a 2.19 ERA.
He followed that up in 2023 by becoming even more stingy, upping his swing-and-miss ability to rack up 110 strikeouts in 61 innings pitched, holding opponents to a 1.48 ERA and finishing off several huge games down the stretch on his way to 33 saves.
For his efforts, Bautista was named to the 2023 American League All-Star team, and he found his way to the periphery of the Cy Young conversation as the league’s top pitcher, ultimately finishing 11th in voting behind 10 starting pitchers.
Bautista’s return is not the only boost Baltimore’s stable of relievers will get this year.
The organization also signed Andrew Kittredge in free agency and will benefit from full seasons of the 2024 acquisitions from the Philadelphia Phillies, Gregory Soto and Seranthony Domínguez.