Elias explains Orioles' plans for Bautista following elbow injury

The Orioles aren’t ready to shut the door on Félix Bautista’s season. They don’t feel the urgency to make a declaration with 20 games remaining before the playoffs.

Bautista isn’t in their bullpen, but time is on their side.

Executive Vice President/General Manager Mike Elias confirmed today in a media session that Bautista has a partial tear of the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow. An MRI revealed the damage, which is termed “acute-on-chronic.” A sudden injury that also results from use over a period of time.

Surgery to replace the ligament, or a Tommy John procedure, remains a possibility down the road, but the Orioles aren’t traveling it this month.

“The question is when and how to deal with that,” Elias said.

“We’ve solicited a lot of opinions and formulated a plan, and at this point, the calendar kind of affords us an opportunity to take a conservative approach and allow him to throw right now and kind of see where that goes and how that takes us, and that’s going to sort of be a day-by-day situation. But he is throwing right now. I don’t have any knowledge about where exactly this is leading other than we can take this time right now to take that conservative approach and allow him to throw.

“At some point, this may be a situation that he and us are going to want to look at from a little bit more permanent and a little bit more comprehensive standpoint in terms of the right move for the rest of his career. But at this point in time, we’re using what the calendar affords us in terms of some cushion to give this a conservative approach and see where we’re at before the season is over.”

Bautista is playing catch on flat ground. He hasn’t attempted a side session.

“We’re kind of stretching it out by the day,” Elias said, adding that Bautista hasn’t received a platelet-rich plasma injection or other shots.

“Our doctors, outside doctors, don’t see any irresponsible risk or loss of time if we’re to allow him to keep throwing right now and kind of seeing how it feels and what he’s able to do here the rest of the season. But I think if we do get to the off-season, we’ll probably look at it through a fresh lens then. It’s something we’re going to have to think about, what the best long-term move is for him.”

The postseason is a possibility for Bautista, which is obvious based on how the Orioles are handling his injury.

“I think the fact that we’re keeping him throwing right now speaks to the fact that this is not over for 2023, and it’s just going to depend on how he feels as we keep this going,” Elias said. “Right now, this is our approach, it’s what I would characterize as a conservative approach, meaning we’re not diving into an operative procedure. We’re seeing how this responds for his arm to continue to throw. But it was an injury that has some significance to it. We took an MRI, we put him on the IL, we’ve had a lot of conversations about it with many orthopedic experts, and this is kind of where we’re at right now.

“It doesn’t make any sense to do this if it doesn’t seem like there’s any chance of him contributing the rest of the year. I would still characterize this as something that we can’t count on and we’re going to take it very carefully, and his career and his future and the team’s future are first and foremost in that. We’re very confident that everything we’re doing is within the realm of not introducing any additional long-term risk to him or to his recovery or his skill level.

“Given all those parameters, this isn’t something that we’re putting a ton of stock into, either in a positive or negative direction right now, but he’s been throwing. It’s feeling good. And we’re just taking it day-by-day like we are for the rest of these 20 games with every other aspect of our season.”

An ideal scenario puts Bautista in games prior to the postseason, but the Orioles aren’t setting that goal as a requirement.

“Do I want to rule anything in or out right now, September 11? I’m not at the point of that, either,” Elias said.

Bautista was one strike away from his 34^th save on August 25 when he unleashed a 102.3 mph fastball to Colorado’s Michael Toglia, spun toward first base and began flexing his hand. A crowd that roared with every strike fell silent.

There were no issues with Bautista's elbow before that pitch. There wasn’t an alarming dip in velocity that hinted at a serious injury.

"When the best closer in the game leaves the game, that's never a good feeling,” said manager Brandon Hyde. “I just feel for the guy. I love the guy so much that it’s hard to watch somebody in pain like that.”

“He’s our guy,” said first baseman Ryan Mountcastle, “he’s the rock of that bullpen.”

The Orioles kept rolling without him, but how far they’d go in the playoffs became a major concern.

Elias told the media on August 26 that Bautista had some degree of injury” to the UCL. The Orioles needed the inflammation to decrease before offering further information.

Bautista threw on the field in Anaheim and in Boston, increasing the distance and, it appeared, the intensity. But Hyde warned against putting “any emphasis positive or negative about it.”

“He was playing a little bit of catch, kind of seeing how he feels today,” Hyde said over the weekend.

“I wouldn’t put any stock into it.”

Any activity from the All-Star closer was bound to gain notice and lead to more questions and speculation.

Bautista is 8-2 with a 1.48 ERA, 0.918 WHIP and 33 saves in 56 games. He’s struck out 110 batters in 61 innings. He’s a huge reason why the Orioles hold the American League’s best record and could win the division for the first time since 2014.

A historical turnaround from a 110-loss season in 2021 largely rests on Bautista’s broad shoulders. But the elbow didn’t hold up.

“He’s a guy who’s been pitching and pitching hard for a while,” Elias said today.

Bautista wants the ball in his hand again before the winter.

“Félix is the utmost competitor,” Elias said. “Obviously his stuff and increasingly his command and increasingly his performance has been elite. But I think one of the biggest things that strikes me as I’ve been around him now for a few years is to have the type of ferocity and talent that he has but be so under control and thoughtful and kind of emotionally stable. And he’s a smart guy and he’s very thoughtful and he loves his team and he understands what happened to him, but he also understands the calendar and we do have this little bit of chance to keep him up and running right now. And so, we’re all taking it. But I don’t think any of us knows where this is going to go other than the advice of medical experts in our organization and renowned guys from all over the country that the whole league uses is that it makes sense to do this right now.

“He’s going to be the biggest determinant in where this goes and how. So, I’m not placing any odds or expectations on this other than, with his injury, with where we’re at in the calendar, we are utilizing a conservative and non-operative approach for the short term.”

The wait won’t create an impactful setback if Bautista needs to undergo surgery. The circumstances are unique given the timing and his importance to the club.

“When you’re talking about baseball injuries there’s always three or four months in the winter that there’s no season going on, and so whatever you’re talking about is encompassing or overlapping those winter months, it’s time coming off the clock that, you’re not missing games,” Elias said.

“Where we’re at, September 11 and hopefully playing deep into next month, we have an ability to possibly use and lose some of that time, but not in danger of other trigger points in the calendar that, if we end up going down another route with him would be forecast as a return time.”

Bautista had a 0.85 ERA before surrendering Kyle Tucker’s grand slam in the ninth inning of an August 8, game against the Astros. He recorded his 31^st save two days later, though he was charged with a run, and strung together six consecutive scoreless appearances with a win and two saves before walking off the mound with head athletic trainer Brian Ebel.

Yennier Cano became the primary closer, with his six saves ranking second on the club, but Hyde also is playing matchups. The Orioles recalled DL Hall and claimed Jorge López on waivers to provide coverage and depth. They have Shintaro Fujinami, Cionel Pérez and Jacob Webb as alternatives. But Bautista is an elite closer and “impossible to replace for anybody,” Elias said.

“I’ve been encouraged by the way the group has pitched and looked since Félix’s injury, and we’re kind of piecing it together,” Elias said.

“There’s a lot of grit to this group and I think we’re going to figure it out with or without Félix, but he’s going to be missed either way.”

Elias also said the club wants Tyler Wells to rejoin the pitching staff. Wells is with Triple-A Norfolk. He's trending up. The velocity is up, his fastball clocked at 94-95 mph. And the Orioles believe the box scores will begin to stabilize for him.

"We may need him, too, sooner than that," Elias said. “He's one of our better pitchers, but it's been an unusual juncture for him. He appeared to us to run out of his best stuff very abruptly here at the major league level."

Getting back injured relievers Keegan Akin and Dillon Tate is “increasingly a stretch,” Elias said, though their conditions are improving.

* John Means stood at his Camden Yards locker this afternoon and finally could talk about making his first start since April 13, 2022. It was official. He cleared the last hurdles in his recovery from Tommy John surgery and a pulled muscle in his upper back that stalled his rehab.

Means will be on the mound Tuesday night in the second game of the Cardinals series.

“Pumped up about it,” he said. “Really excited. It’s been a long ride. Looking forward to competing again.”

The joy is heightened by making the start in Baltimore after a three-city road trip.

“It’s great,” he said. “These fans are the best. It’s just been such a fun time at Camden Yards. Just looking forward to feeling that energy.”

How far can Means be extended?

“I’ll go as far as Hyde lets me go, to be honest,” he replied. “I feel good, so as long as he wants me to go, I’ll go.”

Any nerves?

“Yeah, a little bit,” he said. “It kind of feels like, not debut but it’s been a while. I’m more looking forward to it than everything, but I’m sure I’ll get the nerves before the game.”

The Orioles arranged six rehab games for Means, three with Double-A Bowie and three with Triple-A Norfolk. He graduated from his throwing progression in Sarasota and live batting practice sessions.

“I’ve been so day-to-day,” he said. “Every rehab’s tough that way, so you’ve got to keep a daily mindset to stay present, but now that this day’s coming up, just really exciting and all the times during rehab, all the tough times, are coming to fruition.”

Means grew accustomed to “having eyes” on him through each step of his recovery. He's ready to take the mound in the majors and just pitch. 

“I’m kind of looking forward to having some eyes off me and just kind of do my own thing,” he said. “You’re under a microscope for so long, so I’m excited just to go out there and be free.”

(This is my last story today. Steve Melewski is handling game coverage.)