The Mountain is officially back on the mound for the Orioles. Félix Bautista, who is nearing the end of his rehab progression from his late 2023 Tommy John surgery, threw a bullpen session at camp on Friday, throwing to Adley Rutschman as he got his work in.
Bautista told reporters on Friday morning before his throwing session that he is currently throwing around 85% strength and that he expects to be up to 100% by Opening Day. That tracks with the relative optimism that GM Mike Elias expressed in his session with media on Thursday, in which Elias said there’s a “very good chance” of Bautista being on the Opening Day roster.