Flix Bautista Undergoes Shoulder Surgery Expected To Miss 12 Month

The Orioles announced today that right-hander has undergone surgery to repair a torn rotator cuff and torn labrum in his right shoulder. He is expected to mi s the next 12 months. was among those to relay the news. The news is obviously brutal for the Os and Bautista. Scott Blewett Jersey He just mi sed the entire 2024 season while recovering from Tommy John surgery. He got back on the mound this year and showed some flashes of his old self. However, hes now going to mi s the remainder of the 2025 season and a huge chunk of 2026 as well. Given the estimated timeline, any kind of setback could lead to him mi sing another entire season. Prior to the injury setbacks, he had established himself as one of the most dominant relievers in the game. Over the 2022 and 2023 campaigns, he gave the Os 126 2/3 innings with a tiny 1.85 earned run average. His 10% walk rate was a bit on the high side and his 39.9% ground ball rate wasnt special but he punched out a ma sive 40.4% of batters faced. As mentioned, he showed some hints of that form in 2025, though also with some rust. He logged 34 2/3 innings this year with a 2.60 ERA. His 35.2% strikeout rate was technically a drop-off but still a great figure. Meanwhile, his grounder rate jumped to 50.7%. On the worrying side, his walk rate spiked to 16.2%. Perhaps he would have continued refining things as he got more innings and shook off the rust, but that wont happen now. He landed on the 15-day IL in July due to shoulder discomfort. It was announced by the team in August that his injury was significant and that he wouldnt be coming back this year. Todays news provides more clarity on how dire the situation is. Its po sible that Bautista eventually throws le s than 40 innings for the 2024-26 stretch. If he returns late next year, he could push a bit beyond that number, but likely not by much. Bautista is controllable through 2027. He is making just $1MM this year. He will be due a raise in arbitration for 2026 and 2027 but the mi sed time cuts into his ability to substantially increase his salary. Given his ceiling, the Os will surely tender him a contract with the hope of him contributing late in 2026 and/or for the entire 2027 campaign. For the Os, its the latest kick to the nuts in a season that has seen them pummeled by injuries. They came into the year knowing that and would be rehabbing from last years surgeries, but then they have also seen guys like , , , and others mi s significant time. On the position player side, , , , and others mi sed chunks of time. Those injuries helped push the Os down in the standings. Though they came into the year with clear postseason aspirations, they wound up deadline sellers. , Kittredge, , , , , , and were all flipped prior to the deadline. The club is now playing out the string on the 2025 season, so the Bautista injury is fairly moot for the short term. But his extended timeline obviously hurts for 2026. As mentioned, the Os already flipped four relievers last month, putting a big dent in the bullpen. Bautista is an even bigger lo s. Though they sold at the deadline, its a sumed that the club intends to rebound and compete again in 2026, as they have a young and exciting core to build around. Presumably, the Orioles already planned on making a few bullpen moves in the coming offseason. This news should only enhance the need. For Bautista personally, its another delay in him unlocking a notable paycheck. The late bloomer didnt crack the big leagues until he was in his age-27 season. Despite his excellent results, hes now 30 and hasnt made more than $1MM in a season, which is barely above the league minimum. The two lengthy surgery absences will dampen his earning power in arbitration. Hes not slated to reach free agency until after his age-32 campaign. Its po sible hes healthy by that point but the injury track record will be still be noted by clubs. Photo courtesy of Jonathan Dyer, Imagn Images Tom Brunansky Jersey