SARASOTA, Fla. -- Amid some uncertainty over whether Félix Bautista will be deemed ready for inclusion on the Orioles’ Opening Day roster in six days, the All-Star closer remains confident he is trending in that direction ahead of the team’s Thursday opener in Toronto.

“That still remains the goal,” Bautista said via team interpreter Brandon Quinones on Friday.

The decision also isn’t up to Bautista, which he understands.

“What can I say? I’m an employee here, and they’re the ones who can make that decision,” Bautista said. “Ultimately, whatever decision they make, I’ll take it in stride.”

The O’s made it clear on the first day of Spring Training that they would be taking a cautious approach with Bautista, who underwent Tommy John surgery in October 2023. The 29-year-old has had a slow ramp-up, having appeared in five Grapefruit League outings after pitching in Friday’s 9-1 loss to a Tigers split squad at Ed Smith Stadium.

Bautista has had mixed results. Two of his outings have been scoreless, but he has a 7.71 ERA over 4 2/3 innings. He couldn’t complete the sixth on Friday, when he recorded two outs (both strikeouts) and allowed an opposite-field, wind-aided solo home run to Zach McKinstry.

Manager Brandon Hyde was previously noncommittal when asked whether he was confident Bautista would be on the Opening Day roster on Thursday.

“No. We’re still talking about our roster,” Hyde said. “We haven’t solidified anything there yet.”

Hyde reiterated a similar sentiment after Friday’s game.

“Too soon to say,” Hyde said.

A concern could be that Bautista’s velocity still isn’t quite what it was pre-surgery. In 2023, his sinker averaged 99.5 mph and could touch triple digits.

On Friday, Bautista’s heater sat in the 95-97 mph range and touched 98 once during the 26-pitch outing. A big reason for the right-hander’s success during his two MLB seasons -- over which he has a 1.85 ERA and 48 saves in 121 appearances -- has been his ability to dial up his fastball and blow it past hitters.

“I do think that with time, and as we get into real games,” Bautista said, “that velocity will start to get back up a little bit.”

Bautista’s other offerings appear to be in great shape. His strikeouts ended with Ryan Kreidler swinging and missing on a splitter and Jake Rogers whiffing at a slider. Bautista is also trying to implement a cutter, which remains a work in progress.

But Bautista’s latest outing wasn’t his sharpest, as Hyde noted in his assessment.

“I thought he was OK. I thought he kind of got tired there toward the end a little bit,” Hyde said. “I thought he threw some good splits. Didn’t think the command was his best tonight. Tough time kind of getting his fastballs by guys a little bit.

“This is Spring Training for him, and so I think when the season starts and there’s 40,000 people there, I think the adrenaline will probably kick in a little bit more.”

The most important aspect of Bautista’s return is his health, and that continues to be going well. So whether Bautista -- who is scheduled for one more Grapefruit outing on Sunday vs. the Braves in North Port -- is ready for Opening Day or doesn’t make his 2025 debut until a bit later, his long-term outlook appears to be positive.

“I felt good. My arm feels really good,” Bautista said. “And I think, right now, the most important thing is feeling healthy and making sure I feel good out there.”