The Orioles introduced Monday afternoon that nearer Felix Bautista underwent profitable Tommy John surgical procedure, with Dr. Keith Meister performing the process. The information comes as little shock given Bautista’s surgical procedure was introduced previous to the tip of the common season by GM Mike Elias. The Orioles didn’t present on replace on Bautista’s timeline following the process, although he was already anticipated to overlook the whole lot of the 2024 marketing campaign whereas rehabbing the surgical procedure, with spring coaching 2025 because the said objective for his return to the mound.
Bautista, 28, broke out in an enormous method throughout his sophomore season as an enormous leaguer to turn out to be among the best relievers in baseball this yr. Over 61 innings of labor, Bautista posted a microscopic 1.48 ERA that was fifth-best within the majors amongst gamers with no less than 50 innings of labor this yr whereas hanging out 46.4% of batters confronted this season. Not solely did that strikeout fee lead the majors in 2023, nevertheless it was the seventh-best mark amongst pitchers with no less than 50 innings of labor in a single season. Solely Aroldis Chapman (2014), Craig Kimbrel (2012, 2017), Edwin Diaz (2022), and Josh Hader (2018, 2019) have ever posted increased strikeout charges in a season than Bautista did this yr, placing him in actually elite firm among the many greatest closers of as we speak’s sport.
Whereas Bautista has a prolonged rehab forward of him as he seems to be to work his method again, the right-hander received’t have to fret about his place on the Orioles as he works his method again. Elias revealed alongside the preliminary announcement of Bautista’s impending surgical procedure that the edges had come collectively on a two-year assured contract masking the 2024 and 2025 seasons. That leaves Bautista safe for his ultimate pre-arbitration season and his first yr of arbitration eligibility. He’ll make his first journey by the arbitration course of after the 2025 marketing campaign.
With Bautista set to spend your entire 2024 marketing campaign on the 60-day IL the Orioles appear more likely to search for reinforcements to their bullpen, which was solely rivaled by that of the Dodgers in 2023, forward of the 2024 marketing campaign. Proper-hander Yennier Cano had a robust season appearing as Bautista’s major set-up man and has crammed the nearer function acceptably in Bautista’s absence. On the identical time, the likes of Danny Coulombe, Bryan Baker, and even perhaps transformed begins comparable to DL Corridor and Tyler Wells might influence subsequent yr’s reduction corps. Nonetheless, exterior additions will certainly be mandatory to exchange Bautista’s manufacturing. Hader stands atop the approaching crop of free agent reduction arms, although loads of different attention-grabbing choices determine to be out there together with Chapman, Matt Moore, Joe Jimenez, Jordan Hicks, and Hector Neris.
