If you already had doubts about the Orioles bullpen three weeks before Opening Day, Wednesday only elevated those concerns.
Manager Craig Albernaz told reporters in Sarasota that veteran reliever Andrew Kittredge is dealing with right shoulder inflammation, which leaves a “low probability” that the soon-to-be 37-year-old will be ready to pitch by the March 26 opener against Minnesota. The right-hander hadn’t appeared in a spring game since making his Grapefruit League debut on Feb. 25, an outing in which he retired only one batter and had an average sinker velocity that was down 3.4 mph from last season.
Reacquired for cash in early November after president of baseball operations Mike Elias traded him to the Chicago Cubs last July, Kittredge projected to be Baltimore’s top setup man to bridge the gap to new closer Ryan Helsley. In a combined 53 innings for the Orioles and Cubs last season, Kittredge pitched to a 3.40 ERA and averaged 10.9 strikeouts per nine innings. The veteran hurler also missed the first eight weeks of 2025 after undergoing knee surgery during spring training.
While there was more focus on the state of the starting rotation over the winter, the Orioles traded four relievers — Bryan Baker, Seranthony Dominguez, Gregory Soto, and Kittredge — in last July’s sell-off and also lost former All-Star closer Felix Bautista to a major shoulder injury that’s expected to sideline him for most or all of 2026. However, Elias appeared more content than most observers to fill out the remaining bullpen openings internally after signing Helsley to a two-year, $28 million contract in early December and exercising Kittredge’s $9 million option for 2026.
The health of Kittredge’s shoulder may force Elias to adjust that vision for the projected bullpen, whose makeup will depend on whether Baltimore enters the season with five starting pitchers or deploys a six-man rotation. Clubs may carry a maximum of 13 pitchers on the 26-man roster.
The Orioles are hoping a healthy Tyler Wells — who’s missed most of the last two seasons due to right elbow surgery — and left-hander Keegan Akin will be valuable commodities to bridge the gap to Helsley, but they’re otherwise counting on 2023 All-Star reliever Yennier Cano to reverse his two-year decline. And while lefty Dietrich Enns and right-hander Rico Garcia performed well with opportunities last August and September to be legitimate competitors for 2026 bullpen roles, that work came for a last-place club that was playing out the string in a lost season.
Elias may turn to a free-agent market that still includes a few interesting options such as oft-injured — but very talented — right-hander Michael Kopech and former Orioles left-hander Danny Coulombe. Otherwise, the likelihood of Kittredge opening the season on the injured list now opens the door for some combination of lefty Grant Wolfram, veteran right-hander Albert Suarez, and right-handed rookies Anthony Nunez and Cameron Foster to sneak onto the Opening Day roster.
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That’s not to say there won’t be a sleeper or two to emerge to make major contributions in relief, but that’s a ton of unknown for a club viewing itself as a playoff contender in 2026.
Bautista begins throwing
On the same day Albernaz revealed Kittredge is unlikely to be ready for Opening Day, Bautista told reporters in Sarasota that he’s finally begun throwing in his rehab from last August’s surgery to repair the rotator cuff and labrum in his right shoulder.
The 30-year-old threw from 45 feet earlier this week and still hopes to be able to return late this season, but the Orioles will be cautious with someone who also underwent Tommy John surgery on his right elbow less than three years ago. Given those significant arm injuries, anything Bautista might be able to contribute in 2026 would be more wishful thinking than any semblance of a realistic plan.
Bautista was rapidly emerging as one of baseball’s best relievers and even earning Cy Young consideration before injuring his elbow on Aug. 25, 2023. He’s appeared in just 35 games since then.
