Orioles closer Félix Bautista, likely MLB trade deadline target, goes on IL with right shoulder discomfort
- - Orioles closer Félix Bautista, likely MLB trade deadline target, goes on IL with right shoulder discomfort
Ian CasselberryJuly 24, 2025 at 9:23 PM
The Baltimore Orioles suffered a double setback Thursday with the news that reliever Félix Bautista is going on the 15-day injured list due to right shoulder discomfort.
Bautista going on the IL hurts the Orioles' chances of staying competitive and perhaps getting back into the American League playoff race. At 44-57 going into play Thursday, Baltimore is 15.5 games behind the first-place Toronto Blue Jays in the AL East and 9.5 games out of the third AL wild-card spot.
More pressing, Bautista's injury might have an impact on the future of the Orioles, given that the 30-year-old figured to be a popular trade-deadline target for playoff contenders. In 35 appearances this season, the right-hander has 50 strikeouts in 34 2/3 innings with a 2.60 ERA and 19 saves in 20 opportunities.
Contending teams looking to add a closer or late-inning setup reliever likely have Bautista on their list of potential acquisitions leading up to the July 31 MLB trade deadline.
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Besides a career rate of 13.8 strikeouts per nine innings and a 2.01 ERA with 67 saves in 76 opportunities, Bautista has two seasons of arbitration eligibility remaining, making him an extremely appealing, low-cost asset.
This is his first full season since recovering from Tommy John surgery that sidelined him for the entire 2024 campaign.
Félix Bautista strikes out Aaron Judge and Cody Bellinger to lock down the save for the @Orioles! pic.twitter.com/KTsebftQVb
— MLB (@MLB) April 29, 2025
Bautista threw a season-high 34 pitches in his last outing on Sunday versus the Tampa Bay Rays. He got the save after allowing one run in the ninth inning, but he walked three batters and threw only 18 pitches for strikes along the way.
The injury became apparent while Bautista was beginning to warm up in Wednesday's game with the Cleveland Guardians. As he began to throw a heavy ball against a wall to loosen up, something felt wrong, and the Orioles' dugout was alerted that Bautista wouldn't be available, according to the Baltimore Sun.
“Our phone rang, and right when I heard that thing ring, I told whoever was next to me, I said, ‘That is not good,’” interim manager Tony Mansolino told reporters. “I heard it get slammed after, and I knew it wasn’t going to be good, and it turned out to be really horrendous.”
Bautista will get an MRI on Friday to determine the severity of the injury, Mansolino said. The Orioles will go with a closer by committee in his absence, likely relying on Seranthony Domínguez, Andrew Kittredge and Gregory Soto.
If there's no structural damage in Bautista's shoulder, teams might still be willing to trade for him if they know they'll get him back at some point during the final two months of the season and into the postseason. They would also have him for an additional two seasons at a lower cost.
Source: “AOL AOL Sports”
