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Baltimore Orioles' Superstar Closer Undergoes Additional Elbow Surgery, Still on Track For 2025 Return

According to MLB.com, Baltimore Orioles' superstar closer Felix Bautista underwent an additional elbow procedure. He's already out for the season with Tommy John surgery and is expected to have no hiccups from this latest procedure.
Brady Farkas|
Baltimore Orioles' Superstar Closer Undergoes Additional Elbow Surgery, Still on Track For 2025 Return
Baltimore Orioles' Superstar Closer Undergoes Additional Elbow Surgery, Still on Track For 2025 Return

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Baltimore Orioles

Baltimore Orioles' superstar closer Felix Bautista has undergone an additional elbow procedure, according to MLB.com.

Already out for the season with Tommy John surgery, he's still expected to be full-go for 2025.

Per Jake Dill of MLB.com:

#Orioles’ Félix Bautista had right elbow debridement and an ulnar nerve transposition today with Dr. Keith Meister in Dallas. The O’s do not anticipate any changes in his overall Tommy John recovery timeline and still expect him to return for the 2025 season.

While the timeline for the team may have not changed, it could change the goals for Bautista, who recently said he wanted to be back before the end of the 2024 season.

The O's have Kimbrel and Yennier Cano implanted in the back end of the bullpen for 2024 in Bautista's absence.

Bautista had a phenomenal year in 2023, going 8-2 out of the bullpen with a microscopic 1.48 ERA. He had 33 saves and struck out a whopping 110 batters in 61.0 innings. Regularly able to touch 100 mph, he's one of the most uncomfortable at-bats in all of baseball. He was named to the American League All-Star team last year as well. 

He made his Major League debut in 2022 and has 48 career saves.

The flamethrower is 28 years old and is under contract through 2027.

The Orioles won 101 games last year and captured the American League East crown. They were beaten in the ALDS by the eventual World Series champion Texas Rangers.

They'll enter 2024 as one of the favorites in the American League.

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Brady Farkas
BRADY FARKAS

Brady Farkas is a baseball writer for Fastball on Sports Illustrated/FanNation and the host of 'The Payoff Pitch' podcast which can be found on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Videos on baseball also posted to YouTube. Brady has spent nearly a decade in sports talk radio and is a graduate of Oswego State University. You can follow him on Twitter @WDEVRadioBrady. 

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