Who could be the Orioles closer with Félix Bautista injured?

After leaving Friday night's game injured, Baltimore Orioles closer Félix Bautista has been placed on the 15 Day IL with a UCL injury. There has been no information on how much time he will have to miss or how severe the injury is, all we know as of Saturday night is that he is on the IL with a UCL injury.

With Bautista shelved for an undetermined amount of time, the Orioles now have a big hole to fill in the ninth inning as they look to replace his 1.48 ERA, sub 1.00 WHIP, and 33 saves in the back end of the bullpen. There are a few options that Brandon Hyde can go to, so let's take a look at them.

Stats are prior to beginning of play on August 26

Who could become the closer for the Orioles with Félix Bautista injured?

Yennier Cano

The prime and most clear option to replace Bautista in the ninth inning is Cano, who has been a revelation in the back end of the bullpen, earning every bit of his high leverage reliever status. He currently possesses a 1.62 ERA and 0.984 WHIP to go with four saves this season when Bautista has needed a breather.

Cano has limited the walks this season, as evidenced by an average of 1.5 walks per nine, and he's also struck out 57 batters in 61 innings and 57 appearances while earning a spot on the AL All Star Team. Cano is the safest option for Hyde to turn to in the ninth as things currently stand.

Who could become the closer for the Orioles with Félix Bautista injured?

Danny Coulombe

Danny Coulombe, acquired days before the season started, has turned into a reliable high leverage lefty arm in the bullpen, which has been especially needed with Cionel Pérez's noteworthy struggles this season.

Coulombe sports a 2.75 ERA, 2.61 FIP, and 1.093 WHIP through 39 1/3 innings and 48 appearances. He has racked up the strikeouts this season with an average of 11.2 per nine innings, and like Cano, Coulombe has seen a few save situations, picking up two this year.

It seems unlikely that Coulombe will become a full-time closer, but when Cano needs a breather and if the right matchup presents itself, Coulombe is absolutely a candidate to pick up a save or two. It's more likely that Coulombe will become a top setup man in advance of the ninth inning.

Shintaro Fujinami

Acquired with just under two weeks before the trade deadline, Shintaro Fujinami has been a Jekyll and Hyde pitcher this season, not just with the Orioles. There are days where he looks simply unbeatable, and there are others when nothing is working for him.

That has led to a mostly middle relief role for Fujinami, who has allowed nine earned runs in 17 innings and 16 appearances in an Orioles uniform. He also loves to strike out hitters, averaging 11.1 strikeouts per nine since joining Baltimore.

Even through his roller coaster ride, Fujinami has one save with the Orioles, coming against the Seattle Mariners during the Orioles extended west coast road trip. Seeing Fujinami come out of the bullpen in the ninth inning in a save situation would be very surprising, but it's not far-fetched to see him growing into more regular setup opportunities with Bautista shelved.