Orioles news: Jorge Mateo and Trevor Rogers will miss time, Felix Bautista close

On Thursday, we finally got some real news about the health of infielder Jorge Mateo, who missed the second half of 2024 after going down with elbow surgery in August of last year. Though it happened to his non-throwing arm, the injury he sustained required UCL repair. Mateo was thankfully able to get it with the internal brace modification that shortens the recovery timeline.

There were some reports earlier in the offseason that suggested Mateo could be ready to go by Opening Day but this most recent news confirms that the 29 year old won't be back to 100% that quickly. If Mateo has to begin the year on the IL, that'll open up the opportunity for guys like Heston Kjerstad and Ramon Urías to cement themselves in the lineup in Baltimore before Mateo's eventual return.

In addition to the news about Mateo, we also got a surprising update on lefty Trevor Rogers, who apparently is dealing with an injury of his own. It was reported by Mike Elias during his press conference that Rogers sustained a dislocated kneecap back in January that he's still recovering from.

GM Mike Elias provides update on the health of three important Orioles

According to Rogers, the knee popped out for just a second before shifting back in. Now, I've never dislocated my kneecap before but I just have a hard time thinking that's a minor injury. It's possible that Rogers will be back on track toward the end of spring training and be 100% towards the middle of April or so. But the fact that this happened with little to no reason gives pause, and makes you wonder about the future stability of his knee.

Whether this will impact the lefty over the long term is unclear. He was already on the rocks after posting dreadful results during his brief time with Baltimore last year. Rogers pitched so poorly after the trade deadline that the Orioles demoted him, and he finished the year in Triple-A. This is a major setback for Rogers, who was trying to prove that he's capable of handling major league batters in Baltimore this year.

Lastly, it looks like closer Felix Bautista is feeling confident about his availability for Opening Day. Bautista told reporters that he's close to 100%, if not exactly there. But he feels great about his ability to be fully healthy by the time the season begins.

Getting Bautista back will be a major benefit for the Orioles, as the bullpen struggled down the stretch. Bautista will push Seranthony Dominguez back into a setup role, and it'll lengthen Brandon Hyde's options during games.