The Baltimore Orioles placed All-Star closer Felix Bautista on the 15-day injured list Saturday with what the team is calling “some degree of UCL injury.”
Orioles general manager Mike Elias said they don’t yet know if Bautista will require Tommy John surgery.
“It’s less than 24 hours now and that’s all I’ve got,” Elias said Saturday. “He’s going on the IL. We don’t have a plan beyond that. We have not firmed up any kind of timetable or anything of that nature.”
Manager Brandon Hyde added that Bautista is still undergoing testing.
“Letting it calm down a little bit too,” Hyde said. “We’re still unclear on some things and we’re hoping for the best.”
In a corresponding move, the Orioles recalled left-hander DL Hall from Triple-A Norfolk.
Bautista sustained the injury in the ninth inning of Friday night’s win over the Colorado Rockies.
With the Orioles leading 5-4, Bautista got the first two outs. On a 1-2 pitch to Colorado’s Michael Toglia that went for a ball, Bautista looked uncomfortable on the mound. After a visit from the team trainer, he left the game.
Danny Coulombe came on and struck out Toglia with his lone pitch to earn his second save.
Bautista ranks second in the American League with 33 saves to go with an 8-2 record and a 1.48 ERA in 56 appearances this year. He made the American League All-Star team last month in his second major league season.
–Field Level Media
