Félix Bautista took another step Tuesday toward returning from his elbow injury, but Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said the closer’s timeline is still murky.
Bautista threw a live bullpen — pitching on the mound at Camden Yards and facing a hitter — for the first time since he partially tore the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow one month ago Tuesday. The right-hander had thrown bullpen sessions in recent weeks as he attempts to ramp up for a postseason return, but Hyde said after Bautista’s live session that he still has “no idea” when or if the All-Star closer can return this season.
“We’re running out of time a little bit and he’s going to need to get on the mound more often,” Hyde said. “He’s thrown a couple of bullpens; this was his first time experimenting against a hitter on the mound. We’ll see how he feels tomorrow and just make decisions on a daily basis.”
Bautista threw 25 pitches to taxi squad catcher Ramón Rodríguez, mixing in fastballs and off-speed pitches. Velocity readings were not available for the media to see during his bullpen. Hyde, Baltimore’s pitching coaches and several players, including Kyle Gibson, Danny Coulombe, DL Hall and Ryan Mountcastle, were watching from the side.
“I thought he looked fine,” Hyde said. “I mean, it’s all gonna be about how he feels tomorrow, so first time facing hitters — or one hitter — but great to see him out here and hopefully he feels good tomorrow. We’ll see how it goes.”
Hyde said “I don’t know” several times when asked about Bautista’s availability for the postseason. The Orioles would have to activate him off the 15-day injured list and include him on their 26-man playoff roster by the day of their first series. If Baltimore wins the American League East, Game 1 of the AL Division Series would be Oct. 7. The Orioles’ magic number to win the AL East entering Tuesday is three.
“I don’t know how else to answer it besides: I don’t know. I don’t know,” Hyde said. “He just threw for the first time, he threw 25 pitches against a hitter today, and I know there’s a lot of anticipation in him and it’s a big deal, but we’re running out of time a little bit and we’ll see how he feels tomorrow.”
Before his injury, Bautista was in the midst of one of the best seasons by an Orioles reliever with an 8-2 record, 33 saves, 1.48 ERA and 16.2 strikeouts per nine innings. He was a Cy Young candidate — a rarity for a reliever — and his 2.8 wins above replacement on FanGraphs still leads all MLB relievers and is second among Orioles pitchers.
Two weeks ago, executive vice president and general manager Mike Elias revealed that the injury to Bautista’s elbow was a partially torn UCL, an injury that commonly requires surgery, including Tommy John elbow reconstruction. But given the timing of Bautista’s injury and the likelihood that Tommy John surgery would keep him out for all of 2024, Elias said the Orioles are hoping to take advantage of what the “calendar affords” to potentially get the closer back for the playoffs. The typical recovery time from Tommy John reconstruction is between 12 to 18 months, meaning if Bautista would need the surgery, he would be projected to return for the start of the 2025 regular season whether he underwent the procedure now or after the 2023 campaign ends.
“Right now, the medical advice that we’re getting and that we’re comfortable with is this is a smart way to go right now,” . “And if it leads to something else or it doesn’t work, we’ll still have those other options on the table and we’ll be no worse for the wear.”
Hyde said Tuesday that Bautista’s recovery has gone “OK, but there’s an injury in there, so it’s about how he can recover.”
Around the horn
- Ryan Mountcastle took batting practice on the field before Tuesday’s series opener against the Washington Nationals. Hyde said there’s a “chance” the first baseman is activated off the IL on Wednesday when he’s eligible to return but that it will likely take a few more days.
- Infield prospect Coby Mayo was named the Eastern League Most Valuable Player on Tuesday. Mayo, the Orioles’ third-best prospect according to Baseball America, hit .307 with a 1.026 OPS in 78 games with Double-A Bowie before his promotion to Triple-A Norfolk.
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