Baltimore Orioles Boss Reveals Unclear Timeline for Star Pitcher’s MLB Debut

The Baltimore Orioles are taking an ultra-cautious approach with a pitcher that hasn’t throw in the Majors since 2023.

Jul 31, 2023; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Baltimore Orioles relief pitcher Felix Bautista (74) throws a pitch against the Toronto Blue Jays during the ninth inning at Rogers Centre. / Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images

Back in August of last year, Baltimore Orioles closer Félix Bautista was throwing off a mound, roughly one year after he underwent Tommy John surgery.

At the time, Orioles general manager Mike Elias told reporters that the team wouldn’t rush Bautista’s timeline to return to the Majors. The expectation was that he would be ready to close for the O’s in 2025.

There was some buzz that because he was throwing off a mound that he might help Baltimore in its playoff run. Elias shut that down fast. In addition to the Tommy John, which was in September of 2023, Bautista had a debridement and an ulnar nerve transposition in the same elbow in February of 2024.

It’s now March. It’s now 18 months since Bautista had his surgery. He is now on the long end of the recovery schedule for that sort of surgery. He’s made two spring training appearances, and he’s struck out three hitters.

The Orioles are being cautious, and there is nothing wrong with that. But, with opening day roughly three weeks away, there doesn’t seem to be any urgency in determining whether Bautista will be a part of the opening-day roster, according to manager Brandon Hyde.

“We'll kind of see where he is at the end of camp and if we feel like he's ready to pitch in the big leagues for us, whether it's right away or giving him a little bit more time. We haven't determined that yet,” Hyde said to reporters, including the Baltimore Sun.

The Orioles have been cautious with him from the start. Bautista didn’t pitch in a spring training game until last week. He pitched on Friday and gave up two hits and a run in one inning. He had three days of rest in between appearances.

There have been no reports of setbacks for the 29-year-old, whose absence left a clear hole in Baltimore’s bullpen, especially after the downturn in Craig Kimbrel’s performance in the second half of the season.

Yet, it’s curious that Hyde won’t commit to having Bautista on the opening-day roster, even as his recovery has been on time and featured no reported setbacks.

Before Bautista tore the UCL in his right arm in August of 2023, he was having a career year.

Along with earning an All-Star berth, he was named to the All-MLB First Team and received the Mariano Rivera Reliever of the Year after he went 8-2 and saved 33 games with a 1.48 ERA in 56 games. He struck out 110 hitters in 61 innings for a nine-inning rate of 16.2 strikeouts.

At the time of his injury he had a 2.8 fWAR, which was 20th among all pitchers.

Bautista’s career has been on a slow burn for more than a decade. Signed by the Miami Marlins as an international free agent out of the Dominican Republic in 2012, he pitched three year in the Marlins’ organization before he was released in 2015.

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