BALTIMORE (AP) 鈥� Baltimore Orioles first baseman Ryan Mountcastle has suffered a torn oblique during his recovery from an earlier left foot fracture and might not return this season, team president Mike Elias said on Friday.
Meanwhile, closer F茅lix Bautista is nearing a return this season, Elias said.
The 29-year-old Mountcastle has only played in eight games in 2026 for a team that entered Friday at 53-56 and 2 1/2 games out of the final AL wild-card spot. He was preparing to play in a rehab game Tuesday when he sustained the injury, Elias said.
鈥淚t鈥檚 going to be a couple of months,鈥� Elias said of Mountcastle, who has a career slash line of .263/.312/.438 and 98 home runs in 660 career games, all with Baltimore. 鈥淲e hope to get him back as soon as we鈥檙e able to. And hopefully that鈥檚 in 2026. But it鈥檚 a tough restart for Ryan.鈥�
Bautista, 31, was a 2023 All-Star, missed all of 2024 recovering from Tommy John surgery, then was shut down in July 2025 and underwent a second surgery to repair a torn labrum and rotator cuff in August 2025.
He has 67 saves and a 2.01 ERA in 156 career relief outings for the Orioles. He is rehabbing at the team’s complex in Sarasota, Florida.
鈥淗e鈥檚 throwing live batting practices this week, meaning he鈥檚 facing hitters in Sarasota,鈥� Elias said. 鈥淎nd from all that I鈥檓 hearing, he鈥檚 looking really good. So fingers crossed and kudos to him. He鈥檚 not back yet, but it鈥檚 going really, really well.鈥�
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