Orioles GM Mike Elias addressed reporters this afternoon relating to the standing of right-hander Felix Bautista, who exited yesterday’s sport towards the Rockies with what was termed on the time as “arm discomfort.” It now seems that discomfort was one thing way more extreme than initially indicated, as Elias instructed reporters (together with MASN’s Roch Kubatko) that Bautista is coping with “a point of damage” to his ulnal collateral ligament. Naturally, Bautista is headed to the injured record, with Andy Kostka of of the Baltimore Banner reporting that left-hander DL Corridor will take Bautista’s place on the Orioles’ roster. Baltimore has since made that transfer official, inserting Bautista on the 15-day IL with a “proper UCL damage” whereas recalling Corridor.
Whereas a prognosis isn’t but recognized and no timetable relating to Bautista’s damage has been introduced, it appears a minimum of attainable that the information brings an finish to a season that has been nothing in need of sensational for the 28-year-old righty. Bautista made his debut within the main leagues for the Orioles final 12 months and produced a wonderful season, with a 2.19 ERA, 2.91 FIP, 15 saves and a 34.8% strikeout charge throughout 65 appearances. These numbers from his rookie season had been spectacular sufficient to persuade Elias and his entrance workplace to ship then-closer Jorge Lopez to Minnesota on the commerce deadline final 12 months, with Bautista seeking to be the membership’s nearer of the long run.
The 2023 marketing campaign has seen Bautista not solely make good on that promise, however make a case for himself as the most effective reliever in your entire sport this 12 months. In 61 innings of labor this 12 months, Bautista has racked up 33 saves (only one lower than league leaders Alexis Diaz and Emmanuel Clase) whereas posting an unbelievable 46.4% strikeout charge with ERA (1.48) and FIP (1.89) marks under 2.00. His 2.8 fWAR this season places him twentieth in baseball amongst all pitchers, a determine that places him in the identical dialog as front-end arms like Luis Castillo and Kodai Senga regardless of providing lower than half the quantity of these starters.
Bautista’s heroics this season have catapulted Baltimore’s bullpen to or close to the highest of loads of leaderboards this season. They collectively sport the sixth-best ERA (3.55), the most effective FIP (3.51) and fWAR whole (6.8), and the third-highest strikeout charge (26.5%) within the majors this 12 months, even regardless of middling performances from the likes of Shintaro Fujinami, Austin Voth, and Cionel Perez. The lack of Bautista naturally complicates the long run for the membership’s aid corps, although the addition of Corridor, a former first-round decide who has posted gaudy strikeout totals in each the majors and minors regardless of restricted large league expertise, might present a lift down the stretch.
Fellow right-hander Yennier Cano, who was acquired as a part of the return within the aforementioned Lopez deal final 12 months, appears primed to step into the nearer’s function in Bautista’s stead. Cano is within the midst of what has been a wonderful season of his personal, with an exceptional 1.62 ERA and a couple of.68 FIP. He’s managed to publish these numbers regardless of a far much less spectacular strikeout charge of 24.2% because of a mixture of a sensational groundball charge of 58.5% and a minuscule 4.2% stroll charge.
Nonetheless, even regardless of the potential upside of Corridor and the superb efficiency of Cano, the lack of Bautista is a doubtlessly catastrophic blow for the Orioles, who presently lead the AL East with an 80-48 report that trails solely the Braves in all of MLB. Baltimore opted towards any influence additions to a comparatively weak beginning workers that ranks simply nineteenth within the majors when it comes to fWAR and fifteenth by measure of ERA, as a substitute solely including right-hander Jack Flaherty (91 ERA+ in 23 begins this season) to the combo. The membership’s dominant bullpen, led by Bautista, absolutely performed a task within the membership’s choice to not extra aggressively pursue an impactful arm like Eduardo Rodriguez or Jordan Montgomery.
With Bautista’s season now seemingly in peril, the membership must lean extra closely on its rotation group going ahead. Flaherty has struggled in three begins with the Orioles thus far, with a 7.07 ERA in 14 innings of labor, however has a historical past as a wonderful mid-rotation arm within the not-to-distant previous. Kyle Bradish (3.03 ERA in 23 begins) has emerged as a transparent playoff-caliber rotation arm this season, whereas rookie Grayson Rodriguez has posted a 3.24 ERA in seven begins since rejoining the crew final month. Veteran righty Kyle Gibson has managed to maintain the crew in video games regardless of a middling 4.89 ERA thanks to 14 high quality begins, a determine that locations him within the high 10 amongst all AL pitchers this season.
