SARASOTA, Fla. — Félix Bautista had his routine set.

After a long day of rehab recovering from Tommy John reconstructive elbow surgery, Bautista would head back to his residence in Sarasota and get everything set for his evening. He prepared his favorite snack — tostones, twice-fried green plantains — and served it with fried salami and fried egg. Then he set up his projector, flipped the switch and keyed up his streaming platform of choice. After watching a few trailers, it was time.

Movie time.

Bautista was away from his teammates for the entirety of the 2024 season, and that meant free evenings with no one to spend them with. So he developed this new hobby to fill his time: a movie obsession.

So how many did movies did he watch last season?

“In reality, it was way too many,” Bautista said through Brandon Quinones, who translated the interview.

Action, comedy, anime with Spanish subtitles, it didn’t matter to him. If the trailer was entertaining enough, he was willing to give it a go. He even watched Animal Planet, TV series and documentaries, anything he found of interest. And he always watched the full thing; there was no holding half for the next day.

Just don’t ask him to pick a favorite. He can’t, no matter how many times he’s asked.

“I saw so many last year that it’s hard to choose,” Bautista said.

He had never watched so many movies in one season because, well, he was used to pitching and traveling with a team. Ideally, he’ll never have a year like that one again.

Bautista was one of the best closers in MLB in 2023, pitching to a 1.48 ERA and an All-Star nomination in his second major league season. Elbow pain hit in September, and he underwent surgery in October.

The recovery timeline is 12 to 18 months, meaning Bautista could all but assume he would miss all of 2024. The rehab process is long and lonely, and, although Tyler Wells and Danny Coulombe joined him in June after getting their own elbow surgeries, it wasn’t the same as having everyone around.

“I think it’s been very difficult,” he said. “I think only someone who has been through this really understands how hard it is. I’ve been trying to do my best to recover and prepare myself to come back fully healthy.”

He’s still in Sarasota, but now he’s essentially a full participant in spring training. He’s throwing bullpen sessions and, as of Sunday, facing hitters in live batting practice but will not appear in a game yet as the Orioles ramp him up slowly. The goal is to be back on the field when the regular season begins — spending his nights at a stadium rather than on the couch watching movies.

“I feel really good right now,” he said. “Everything is going according to plan, and that remains the goal, to be ready for opening day.”