The Orioles placed right-hander Félix Bautista on the 15-day injured list Thursday for right shoulder discomfort, one day after he told the coaching staff midway through the game that he was unavailable.
The move is retroactive to July 21.
Bautista sent a message to the coaching staff in the seventh inning of Wednesday’s loss that “something didn’t feel right,” interim manager Tony Mansolino said.
It came as a surprise to Mansolino, because he said Bautista threw like normal before the game. “Everything was normal,” Mansolino said after the game. “Definitely not expected.”
Mansolino said they decided to shut Bautista down rather than pitch him.
Bautista’s last outing was a grind. He threw a season-high 34 pitches Sunday against the Tampa Bay Rays. His sinker velocity, which averaged 97.2 mph this year (his first back from Tommy John elbow reconstruction surgery), was an average of 95.8 mph, and his slowest came out at 94.1 mph.
At the time, Mansolino said that was emblematic of a pitcher who hadn’t thrown in 10 days. The update Wednesday draws additional concern, although Mansolino said Bautista didn’t exhibit issues Monday or Tuesday.
To replace Bautista on the active roster, the Orioles promoted right-hander Kade Strowd.