Baltimore Orioles relief pitcher Felix Bautista was called upon to hold a one-run lead versus the Toronto Blue Jays on Saturday. It wasn't a perfect outing as Bautista did walk two batters, but he was able to work around the danger. He got a groundout and struck out Bo Bichette to convert his first save of the season. Bautista missed all of 2024 while rehabbing Tommy John surgery from October of 2023. He was an elite closer before the surgery, so hopefully that will continue in 2025.

Baltimore Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said on Sunday that right-handed reliever Felix Bautista (elbow) will be on the Opening Day roster. Bautista missed all of the 2024 campaign after having Tommy John surgery in October of 2023 and there was recent concern that he might not be ready for the start of the regular season, but those concerns are now out the window apparently. However, it doesn't mean that the 29-year-old won't be eased into closing duties in the ninth inning after his long layoff. The Mountain appeared in five spring training games and should lead Baltimore in saves in 2025 as long as he's healthy, but fantasy managers may want to temper expectations for his workload early on. Before his injury in 2023, Bautista was lights-out for the Orioles, posting a 1.48 ERA and 33 saves.

Baltimore Orioles right-handed reliever Felix Bautista (elbow) isn't a lock to be on the team's Opening Day roster when they take on the division-rival Toronto Blue Jays next Thursday. "No, we're still talking about our roster. We haven't solidified anything there yet," manager Brandon Hyde said when asked if he's confident that Bautista will be ready. The O's were always planning on easing the 29-year-old closer in early on in 2025 after he missed all of the 2024 season following Tommy John surgery in October of 2023, but he might actually begin on the injured list. The good news for fantasy managers is that Bautista has been throwing in spring training and has allowed three runs while striking out seven and walking one in four Grapefruit League appearances. He should still be rostered in all fantasy leagues, but Seranthony Dominguez and Gregory Soto could tag-team closing duties for the O's early on.

Baltimore Orioles closer Felix Bautista (elbow), who has been cleared to make his Grapefruit League debut on Monday against the division-rival Boston Red Sox, figures to be eased in early on in 2025 after missing all of last year due to Tommy John surgery. "I'm going to be as careful as I possibly can. I don't see him going back-to-back days. I don't see him going 1-pluses. I'm going to have to be careful about getting him up and sitting him down," manager Brandon Hyde said. In terms of who might fill in for a save chance on days that Bautista isn't available, Hyde mentioned Andrew Kittredge, Gregory Soto and Seranthony Dominguez. "I think it's probably a mix and match at that point." It's unclear exactly when the kid gloves will come off Bautista this year, but Hyde did mention "especially in the first half." Still, Bautista should be viewed as a top-10 fantasy closer.

Baltimore Orioles relief pitcher Felix Bautista (elbow) could be back on the mound to make his spring debut against the Boston Red Sox on Monday. O's manager Brandon Hyde recently said he is hopeful that Bautista can pitch around seven games before the regular season. The right-hander was one of the best relief pitchers in baseball before missing all of last season due to Tommy John surgery. The team is likely going to ease him back into action, but Bautista has the potential to once again to be one the best closers in baseball.

Baltimore Orioles relief pitcher Felix Bautista (elbow) threw his second live batting practice on Thursday and is nearing his spring debut. Roch Kubatko of MASN noted, "it won't be much longer until he pitches in his first Grapefruit League game." Fantasy managers should continue to monitor his status, but it appears that the high-end closer is nearing a return to game action. He missed the entire 2024 campaign after undergoing Tommy John surgery in October. During the 2023 season, Bautista was one of the most dominant closers in the sport as he held a 1.48 ERA with a 0.92 WHIP across 68 frames. He tallied 110 punchouts with 33 saves, which were the third-most in the AL. Bautista was also placed in the 100th percentile in xERA and xBA. Given his current status, fantasy managers should expect Bautista to have a good opportunity to be cleared in time for Opening Day, making him a top closer to target in standard formats.

Baltimore Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said that right-handed reliever Felix Bautista (elbow) will throw a couple more live batting practice sessions in camp, with the first one coming on Wednesday and another coming on Thursday. The Orioles are just being extra cautious with their closer, who didn't pitch at all in 2024 due to Tommy John surgery. The 29-year-old threw 25 pitches in a live BP session on Sunday. The 6-foot-8, 285-pounder Dominican hurler was an All-Star in his second season with the O's in 2023, when he had an 8-2 record, 1.48 ERA (1.88 FIP), a 0.92 WHIP, 33 saves, 110 strikeouts and 26 walks in 61 relief innings. Fantasy managers probably shouldn't expect numbers that good in Bautista's return after a year layoff, especially since he's had issues with walks before, but you should still consider him a top-10 fantasy closer as long as he's healthy going into Opening Day.

Baltimore Orioles relief pitcher Felix Bautista (elbow) threw live batting practice on Sunday. This was the first time Bautista faced live hitters during his recovery process. Earlier in camp, the right-handed emphasized that he plans to be ready for Opening Day. Bautista underwent Tommy John surgery in October 2023 and missed the entire 2024 campaign. Fantasy managers should continue to monitor Bautista's status, as he may even be cleared to participate in a spring training game in the coming weeks. During the 2023 season, the 29-year-old tallied 33 saves and held a 1.48 ERA and a 0.92 WHIP across 61 frames. He tallied an impressive 110 punchouts. He placed in the 100th percentile in xERA and xBA. When healthy, Bautista should be expected to be the top closer in Baltimore and should be viewed as a high-end relief pitcher in all formats.

Baltimore Orioles closer Felix Bautista (elbow) told the media at spring training on Friday that he's currently at around 85 percent strength in his throwing program, but he's confident he'll be at 100 percent by Opening Day at the end of March. Bautista is over a year removed from Tommy John surgery on his right elbow after missing all of last year. The 29-year-old is being eased into spring training and won't pitch in Grapefruit League games right away, but barring a setback, it sounds as though he'll be a full-go for the start of the regular season. While the O's could also ease him in during the regular season, Bautista should be considered a lock as a top-10 closer if he recaptures his pre-surgery form as one of the best ninth-inning arms in baseball. The Mountain had 33 saves for Baltimore in 2023 while also posting a 1.48 ERA, 0.92 WHIP and elite 46.4% strikeout rate.

Baltimore Orioles right-handed relief pitcher Felix Bautista (elbow) won't pitch in Grapefruit League games until late in the spring and will mostly do backfield work until then. However, general manager Mike Elias said that Bautista has a "very good chance" to be on the Opening Day roster. Bautista had Tommy John surgery on his right elbow in October of 2023 and missed all of last season, but he's been throwing bullpen sessions and should be ready for the start of the regular season, barring a setback in spring training. The 29-year-old could be eased back into the closer's role for Baltimore early in the season, but fantasy managers shouldn't ignore the fact that he was one of the league's best closers before his injury in 2023. Despite more risk being involved coming off TJ surgery, RotoBaller has Bautista ranked as the No. 7 fantasy closer.

MASN's Roch Kubatko reports that Baltimore Orioles right-handed reliever Felix Bautista (elbow) will be eased into spring training as part of a ramp-up period. He will not be a full-go this spring, but he's still expected to be ready for Opening Day in 2025. The 29-year-old will be 16 months removed from Tommy John surgery in a few weeks at the start of spring training and has been throwing off a mound since last August. The O's won't be in any rush to have Bautista appear in Grapefruit League games, but the good news is that he's on track to be ready for the start of the regular season, barring any setbacks once he starts ramping up. When healthy, he'll be the favorite for saves in Baltimore, although the team could give him more rest days than normal early on. In 2023, Bautista had 33 saves with a sparkling 1.48 ERA and 0.92 WHIP in 61 innings pitched.

Baltimore Orioles general manager Mike Elias said that right-hander Grayson Rodriguez (lat), relief pitcher Felix Bautista (elbow) and infielder Jorge Mateo (elbow) will all be more or less full-go for the start of spring training next February. Rodriguez carries the most fantasy relevance of the trio as a high-end starting fantasy arm when healthy. The 24-year-old strained his right lat in early August and ran out of time to build his arm up and was unavailable in the Wild-Card series against the Royals this week. Rodriguez also missed some time with a shoulder injury in 2024. Bautista was a first-time All-Star in 2023 and saved 33 games, but he missed all of 2024 while recovering from Tommy John surgery. When healthy, he should return as Baltimore's closer next year. Mateo had UCL reconstructive surgery on his left elbow in late August. If he returns fully healthy in 2025, he should settle into a utility role yet again for the O's.

Baltimore Orioles relief pitcher Felix Bautista (elbow) was officially ruled out of the 2024 season, according to Andy Kostka of the Baltimore Banner on Saturday afternoon. Bautista is scheduled to throw off a mound sometime next week, but GM Mike Elias confirmed that the star closer will not return to game action this season. The hard-throwing right-hander underwent Tommy John surgery last October and had a very slim chance of returning to the big leagues this season. The 29-year-old should be expected to be fully recovered from his operation come spring training next season. Last summer, Bautista was one of the best closers in the game, holding an incredible 2.08 xERA, .142 xBA, 44.3% whiff rate, and a 46.4% K rate. Bautista will likely return to his ninth-inning role in Baltimore next summer and will be one of the first relievers taken in many fantasy leagues.

Baltimore Orioles relief pitcher Felix Bautista (elbow) began playing catch on Friday. This marks the first time that Bautista has thrown since having Tommy John surgery in October and an additional surgery in February. Bautista injured his elbow in a relief appearance against the Colorado Rockies last August. As of now a return in the 2024 season has not been ruled out, though it's highly unlikely the 28-year-old will return this year. Bautista was one of the Orioles' most effective relievers in 2023, posting a 1.48 ERA in 61 innings in 2023. Fantasy managers need not worry about his status this season and instead focus on his return in the 2025 season.

The Baltimore Orioles placed right-hander Felix Bautista (elbow) on the 60-day injured list on Wednesday to make room for outfielder Peyton Burdick, who was acquired in a trade from the Miami Marlins in exchange for cash considerations. Bautista emerged as one of the best closers in the game in 2023 for an Orioles team that won the American League East, but the 28-year-old reliever will miss all of the 2024 season after having Tommy John surgery in October. It was recently announced that he also had a right-elbow debridement and an ulnar-nerve transposition last week, but the additional procedures won't change his final timeline to return by 2025. With Bautista out all of this season, the Orioles brought in veteran Craig Kimbrel to serve as their closer.

The Baltimore Orioles announced on Friday that right-handed relief pitcher Felix Bautista (elbow) had a right-elbow debridement and an ulnar-nerve transposition with Dr. Keith Meister in Dallas, Texas. The Orioles do not anticipate any changes in Bautista's overall Tommy John recovery timeline and they still expect him to return for the 2025 season. The 28-year-old will now continue to recovery from his elbow surgeries this year and will not be available to Baltimore at all this season. It's the reason why they signed veteran closer Craig Kimbrel this winter. Kimbrel will enter the 2024 campaign as the team's primary closer, with Bautista eyeing a return to the role in 2025. Before hurting his right elbow last year, Bautista had emerged as one of the best lockdown closers in the game.

Baltimore Orioles right-handed reliever Felix Bautista (elbow) said that his surgically repaired right elbow is feeling good and he's been rehabbing in Sarasota, Florida, at the team's spring training complex this offseason. Bautista's goal is to be ready for Opening Day in 2025, but if he's ahead of schedule and able to pitch late in 2024, he wants to do it. The 28-year-old had Tommy John surgery in October and can be ignored in single-year fantasy leagues, even though there's a chance he could pitch late in September if all is going great in his rehab by then. The Orioles aren't going to take any chances with their full-time closer the last couple of years, though. With Bautista on the shelf in 2024, veteran Craig Kimbrel will open the regular season as the locked-in closer for the ninth inning.

Baltimore Orioles closer Felix Bautista has been named the 2023 Mariano Rivera American League Reliever of the Year. It's a bittersweet honor for Bautista, who wasn't able to finish out the season and needed Tommy John surgery on a partially torn UCL in his right elbow. Injury aside, Bautista was a big reason why the Orioles took home the AL East title in 2023. The 28-year-old Dominican right-hander was dominant out of Baltimore's bullpen with an 8-2 record, 1.48 ERA, 0.92 WHIP, 110 strikeouts and 33 saves in 61 innings pitched in just his second major-league season. Bautista has a bright future ahead of him, but he will most likely miss all of the 2024 campaign while he recovers from Tommy John surgery.

Baltimore Orioles closer Felix Bautista (elbow) underwent successful Tommy John surgery on his right UCL on Monday in Arlington, Texas, with the surgery being performed by Dr. Keith Meister. The 28-year-old Dominican reliever was an elite fantasy closing option in 2023 for the first-place Orioles, going 8-2 with a 1.48 ERA (1.88 FIP), 0.92 WHIP, a career-high 35 saves, 26 walks and a career-high 110 strikeouts in 61 relief innings. However, the first-time All-Star went down with injury in late August and decided to undergo Tommy John surgery with his season already over. Bautista will now miss the entire 2024 season before hopefully returning as the team's primary closer once again in 2025.

Baltimore Orioles relief pitcher Felix Bautista (elbow) is set to undergo Tommy John surgery, according to Nathan Ruiz. This is a shame after it appeared that Bautista was making good progress in his recovery. The 28-year-old will miss the rest of this season and the entire 2024 campaign as well. Awful news as Bautista emerged as an elite option out of the bullpen for the O's this season. It's uncertain how the team plans to address their closer situation heading into 2024. For now, Yennier Cano figures to see a majority of the save chances for the rest of this season.