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Felix Bautista Confident He'll Be 100% Ready For Opening Day
Baltimore Orioles closer Felix Bautista (elbow) told the media at spring training on Friday that he's currently at around 85 percent strength in his throwing program, but he's confident he'll be at 100 percent by Opening Day at the end of March. Bautista is over a year removed from Tommy John surgery on his right elbow after missing all of last year. The 29-year-old is being eased into spring training and won't pitch in Grapefruit League games right away, but barring a setback, it sounds as though he'll be a full-go for the start of the regular season. While the O's could also ease him in during the regular season, Bautista should be considered a lock as a top-10 closer if he recaptures his pre-surgery form as one of the best ninth-inning arms in baseball. The Mountain had 33 saves for Baltimore in 2023 while also posting a 1.48 ERA, 0.92 WHIP and elite 46.4% strikeout rate.
Source: MLB.com - Jake Rill
Source: MLB.com - Jake Rill
