Here's where Bautista's health, O's closing situation stand

SARASOTA, Fla. -- At this time one year ago, Orioles manager Brandon Hyde had never even seen Félix Bautista throw off a mound in person. Now, the skipper counts on the 6-foot-5 right-hander to close out games. And more often than not, Bautista has been successful in doing so when called upon.

After a rookie season in which Bautista recorded a 2.19 ERA and a 0.93 WHIP while converting 15 of his 17 save opportunities, expectations are high for the 27-year-old entering his 2023 sophomore campaign. He has impressive stuff and the potential to be a top closer in the Major Leagues.

Before that can happen, though, Bautista must move past the left knee sprain and right shoulder fatigue that have slowed his ramp-up toward the season. Both ailments contributed to him getting shut down and missing Baltimore’s final six games last year.

Here’s everything to know about Bautista’s health, his goals and the O’s potentially uncertain closing situation at this early juncture in Spring Training:

How is Bautista feeling?
Bautista met with the media for the first time in camp Saturday morning and stated he feels “really good.” The injuries may have impacted his offseason, but his health has improved.

“I would say after the rehab, after training and resting, that’s when my knee started to feel a lot better,” Bautista said through team interpreter Brandon Quinones.

What has Bautista’s schedule looked like?
Following the end of the 2022 campaign, the Orioles didn’t give Bautista an offseason throwing program. They wanted him to heal up and rest his arm after throwing 65 2/3 innings last season. It was the first time he’d logged more than 46 2/3 frames in a year since ‘17, when he pitched 67 for the O’s Dominican Summer League team.

Bautista, who typically spends much of the offseason in his native Dominican Republic, reported early to the Orioles’ Ed Smith Stadium complex in Sarasota in January to begin throwing. Since then, he’s logged four bullpen sessions, the most recent of which came Friday and was at “about 70 percent” intensity, per Bautista.

When will Bautista get into game action?
It will still take a while longer for Bautista to reach the point at which he’ll be ready to pitch in Grapefruit League games (which begin on Feb. 25). In the meantime, he’ll continue to increase the intensity of his bullpen work, and Hyde plans on incorporating some live batting practice into Bautista’s progression.

Bautista is targeting around March 16 for his first game appearance of Spring Training. Hyde is also optimistic for a mid-March debut.

Will Bautista be ready for Opening Day?
That’s the goal for Bautista. He believes he needs four or five innings of Grapefruit League action to get himself ready for Baltimore’s March 30 opener in Boston.

“We’re kind of wait and see with him, honestly, if he’s going to get enough appearances. And [we’ll] see how it kind of reacts to game situations,” Hyde said.

Who will close if Bautista’s not ready?
Hyde is already thinking about other potential ninth-inning options, just in case. He listed off two names who could serve as fill-ins for Bautista: left-hander Cionel Pérez and righty Bryan Baker.

“Those two would definitely be guys that I would consider pitching at the end of the game,” Hyde said.

Pérez could be one of only a couple of southpaws in Baltimore’s bullpen, so Hyde would need to decide if he’d want to save him for the ninth. The 26-year-old, who posted a 1.40 ERA in 66 games last year, clearly has stuff that could play well in the role, though, and he’s already turning heads in camp.

"I wasn't expecting the electricity coming out of that arm,” new O’s backup catcher James McCann said after working with Pérez on Friday. “He caught me a little bit off guard with just the explosiveness. It was impressive."

What are Bautista’s goals for 2023?
His primary objective for the upcoming season is simple and shouldn’t come as a surprise: To stay healthy.

“That’s the most important thing for me,” Bautista said. “And then after that, it’s trying to help the team win, trying to help the team with whatever I can do to get to where we want to be at the end of the year."