SARASOTA, Fla. -- Amid some uncertainty over whether Félix Bautista will be deemed ready for inclusion on the Orioles¡¯ Opening Day roster in six days, the All-Star closer remains confident he is trending in that direction ahead of the team¡¯s Thursday opener in Toronto.
¡°That still remains the goal,¡± Bautista said via team interpreter Brandon Quinones on Friday.
The decision also isn¡¯t up to Bautista, which he understands.
¡°What can I say? I¡¯m an employee here, and they¡¯re the ones who can make that decision,¡± Bautista said. ¡°Ultimately, whatever decision they make, I¡¯ll take it in stride.¡±
The O¡¯s made it clear on the first day of Spring Training that they would be taking a cautious approach with Bautista, who underwent Tommy John surgery in October 2023. The 29-year-old has had a slow ramp-up, having appeared in five Grapefruit League outings after pitching in Friday¡¯s 9-1 loss to a Tigers split squad at Ed Smith Stadium.
Bautista has had mixed results. Two of his outings have been scoreless, but he has a 7.71 ERA over 4 2/3 innings. He couldn¡¯t complete the sixth on Friday, when he recorded two outs (both strikeouts) and allowed an opposite-field, wind-aided solo home run to Zach McKinstry.
Manager Brandon Hyde was previously noncommittal when asked whether he was confident Bautista would be on the Opening Day roster on Thursday.
¡°No. We¡¯re still talking about our roster,¡± Hyde said. ¡°We haven¡¯t solidified anything there yet.¡±
Hyde reiterated a similar sentiment after Friday¡¯s game.
¡°Too soon to say,¡± Hyde said.
A concern could be that Bautista¡¯s velocity still isn¡¯t quite what it was pre-surgery. In 2023, his sinker averaged 99.5 mph and could touch triple digits.
On Friday, Bautista¡¯s heater sat in the 95-97 mph range and touched 98 once during the 26-pitch outing. A big reason for the right-hander¡¯s success during his two MLB seasons -- over which he has a 1.85 ERA and 48 saves in 121 appearances -- has been his ability to dial up his fastball and blow it past hitters.
¡°I do think that with time, and as we get into real games,¡± Bautista said, ¡°that velocity will start to get back up a little bit.¡±
Bautista¡¯s other offerings appear to be in great shape. His strikeouts ended with Ryan Kreidler swinging and missing on a splitter and Jake Rogers whiffing at a slider. Bautista is also trying to implement a cutter, which remains a work in progress.
But Bautista¡¯s latest outing wasn¡¯t his sharpest, as Hyde noted in his assessment.
¡°I thought he was OK. I thought he kind of got tired there toward the end a little bit,¡± Hyde said. ¡°I thought he threw some good splits. Didn¡¯t think the command was his best tonight. Tough time kind of getting his fastballs by guys a little bit.
¡°This is Spring Training for him, and so I think when the season starts and there¡¯s 40,000 people there, I think the adrenaline will probably kick in a little bit more.¡±
The most important aspect of Bautista¡¯s return is his health, and that continues to be going well. So whether Bautista -- who is scheduled for one more Grapefruit outing on Sunday vs. the Braves in North Port -- is ready for Opening Day or doesn¡¯t make his 2025 debut until a bit later, his long-term outlook appears to be positive.
¡°I felt good. My arm feels really good,¡± Bautista said. ¡°And I think, right now, the most important thing is feeling healthy and making sure I feel good out there.¡±