BALTIMORE — Felix Bautista won’t pitch for the Orioles again in 2023 — and he’s unlikely to do so in the ’24 season, either.

Baltimore general manager Mike Elias announced Saturday that Bautista is scheduled to undergo Tommy John surgery, which will be performed by Dr. Keith Meister during the first or second week of October in Dallas. The All-Star closer is expected to be sidelined until the start of the 2025 season.

Bautista partially tore his MCL in his right elbow on August 25 during the ninth inning of a win over Colorado. Initially, the Orioles maintained hope that the 28-year-old right-hander could pitch again this year, throwing several bullpen sessions earlier this month and a simulated 25-pitch appearance against a no-hitter on Tuesday. No further damage was done to the ligament, but Baltimore didn’t feel comfortable throwing Bautista into a high-stakes bout.

“We’ve run out of time for this to be a feasible, successful postseason option, and it doesn’t make sense,” Elias said before Saturday’s 5-2 win over the Red Sox at Camden Yards. “It became clear to us that this was not going to get where it needed to go in terms of building his ability and getting his skills back to go out and participate in the playoffs so that it would be worth it to lose any more time.”

What does this mean for Batista?
Elias also announced that the Orioles have agreed to a guaranteed deal with Bautista for the next two seasons. He would have been eligible for arbitration for the first time in 2025, but he has now already signed a contract that allows him that year.

This will allow Bautista to focus solely on his recovery from Tommy John surgery and put himself in a position to return to full strength — and return to an elite level — at the start of the ’25 season. Baltimore did the same with left-hander John Means, who underwent Tommy John surgery in April 2022, before To return next September.

Other than when Bautista undergoes surgery, he will spend the rest of the season with the American League East champion Orioles, who are preparing for their first postseason appearance since 2016. And he got to be with the team when it celebrated clinching a spot in the league. Sept. 17, and again after winning the division title on Thursday.

“He deserves it. He’s a huge reason why we celebrate,” said manager Brandon Hyde.

What this means for the Orioles postseason
It hasn’t been easy for Baltimore to navigate the late innings of games without Bautista over the past month. During his first two big league seasons, he emerged as one of baseball’s elite players:

2022: 2.19 ERA, 0.93 WHIP, 15 saves, 88 strikeouts in 65 2/3 innings over 65 games.
2023: 1.48 ERA, 0.92 WHIP, 33 saves, 110 strikeouts in 61 innings over 56 games.

“It’s a lot different when you have the best player in the match, at the top of his game. You build your position around that,” Elias said. “And we don’t have that anymore.”

The Orioles, who have gone 21-12 since Bautista’s injury, will continue to mix and match their late-game arms based on opposing positions and lineups. They still have several quality relievers, including All-Star right fielder Yenier Cano and a trio of lefties – Danny Colombi, Sionel Perez and DL Hall.

Baltimore also converted starters Tyler Wells (former closer) and Jack Flaherty to take advantage as well.

“Obviously losing Felix was a big blow to us. We knew we were going to have to fill this piece of the puzzle together,” Hall said. “It wasn’t going to be just one guy. Felix is ​​a big part of us. We collectively came together and realized that we were going to have to fill that void, and I feel like we did a great job of doing that.

Now, the O’s will have to keep doing that in order to make a deep run through October.

What this means for the Orioles offseason
Not only did Baltimore lose Bautista in the postseason, but his electric arm likely won’t be available all of 2024. Elias said the club “wouldn’t want to rush him” and is looking to get him back at 25 years old.

Could the Orioles now be in the market to round out this season in order to get a shortstop for 2024?

“I’d be lying if I said I didn’t have that in the back of my mind, but we’re very focused on preparing for the playoffs right now, which is something we haven’t had meetings about,” Elias said. About or start looking at those things. We’re very focused on this playoff run.

But when the postseason ends, Baltimore will need to seriously consider whether it wants to sign a free agent closer to a one-year deal or find a potential trade partner. The bullpen is already strong, but there is room for improvement to help make up for Bautista’s absence.

As for 2025, the Orioles are confident in who will close games for them that year.

“He should be back in the Felix Bautista role in spring training 2025. So we’ll be in good shape there long term,” Elias said. “He’s going to get through this. He’s very healthy and has a work ethic other than that. But obviously we’re going to miss this guy terribly.”