Injuries & Moves: Bautista to 15-day IL; Hall recalled
LATEST NEWS
Aug. 26: RHP Félix Bautista placed on 15-day IL; LHP DL Hall recalled
In the top of the ninth inning with two outs and two strikes facing Rockies pinch-hitter Michael Toglia during the Orioles' 5-4 win on Friday, Bautista spun around after a pitch and summoned manager Brandon Hyde and head athletic trainer Brian Ebel from the dugout before leaving the game.
“It’s less than 24 hours now and that’s all I’ve got,” Orioles general manager Mike Elias said in announcing the move. “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.”
Hyde said Saturday that Bautista was 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.”
The Orioles recalled 24-year-old left-hander DL Hall from Triple-A Norfolk and Elias said he will join the bullpen. Hall was 1-2 with a 4.22 ERA in 17 games, six in relief, at Norfolk. He allowed two runs on five hits in three innings in one game this season for the Orioles.
INJURY UPDATES
10-day and 15-day IL
RHP Félix Bautista (right elbow)
Expected return: TBD
Bautista was removed with two outs in the ninth inning against the Rockies on Aug. 25 with what manager Brandon Hyde initially described as "arm discomfort." Orioles GM Mike Elias said on Aug. 26 that Bautista has "some degree of injury" to the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow.
Bautista is still undergoing tests, according to Hyde, and there is no timetable for his return. (Last updated: Aug. 26)
OF Aaron Hicks (low back strain)
Expected return: TBD
Hicks has been on the IL since Aug. 19, retroactive to Aug. 16. Manager Brandon Hyde said the outfielder did “running over ground” Aug. 25 and “is progressing well." Hicks' back flared up in his final at-bat on Aug. 14, the day he returned from a left hamstring strain that had sidelined him for 18 games. (Last updated: Aug. 25)
60-day IL
LHP John Means (Tommy John surgery)
Expected return: Early September
Means started and threw 4 1/3 innings for Triple-A Norfolk on Aug. 25, scattering four hits, allowing one run on a solo homer, with two walks and two strikeouts. He fired 72 pitches, 42 for strikes. He left with Norfolk leading 9-1. The 30-year-old left-hander previously made three starts for Double-A Bowie, allowing five runs over 7 1/3 innings. In his third outing on Aug. 20, he gave up one run in four innings while throwing 57 pitches (38 strikes).
The Orioles originally expected Means, who underwent Tommy John surgery in April 2022, to potentially return by July. However, his timeline was pushed back because he sustained a strain to his left teres major (a muscle in the scapula/upper-back region) while slamming medicine balls during a workout in late May. Means is now on a trajectory to possibly return by early September. (Last updated: Aug. 25)
LHP Keegan Akin (lower back discomfort)
Expected return: Potentially September
Akin continued his rehab assignment on Aug. 3, when he struck out one and walked one over a scoreless inning for Triple-A Norfolk. Previously, he had allowed three runs on four hits over one inning in the Rookie-level Florida Complex League on July 31.
The 28-year-old left-hander went on the 15-day IL on June 30 (retroactive to June 29), two days after he allowed four runs (two earned) in two-thirds of an inning vs. the Reds. Akin has a 6.85 ERA in 24 appearances for the Orioles this season. He was transferred to the 60-day IL on Aug. 23. (Last updated: Aug. 23)
RHP Dillon Tate (right elbow flexor strain)
Expected return: Potentially September
After getting a second opinion on his injured right elbow, Tate was shut down and went to the Orioles' spring complex in Sarasota, Fla. The 29-year-old right-hander made three rehab appearances for Triple-A Norfolk between June 15 and 21, allowing five runs over 2 1/3 innings. General manager Mike Elias remains optimistic Tate could pitch in the big leagues before the end of the season.
Tate, who hasn't pitched for the Orioles yet this year, made 10 Minor League appearances during a 30-day rehab assignment from late April to late May. But Elias announced on May 26 that Tate experienced a setback when he sustained a stress reaction in the elbow. Elias said the reaction was separate from the previous injury. (Last updated: July 28)