Orioles closer Félix Bautista is set for a considerable absence from the team because of the shoulder discomfort that forced him onto the injured list last week.

The imaging done on Bautista’s right shoulder didn’t return clear results due to swelling, which prevented Baltimore from discerning Bautista’s exact condition. However, what’s clear is the right-hander will be out “for a while,” interim manager Tony Mansolino said.

Mansolino said Bautista will undergo an additional MRI, although the team must wait for the swelling to recede before taking that imaging. Mansolino presumed that process will take weeks instead of days.

“Once the swelling goes down enough to scan it again, then we’ll have more information,” Mansolino said. “It’s incredibly disappointing. He’s going to be out for a while. It’s a really important part of the Baltimore Orioles. Very unfortunate set of circumstances.”

Bautista’s injured list placement is retroactive to July 21, but he officially was placed on the injured list Thursday after he realized something “didn’t feel right” the night before. Bautista had been loosening up for a potential relief appearance in Baltimore’s game against the Cleveland Guardians.

In the seventh inning, after warming up with weighted balls, Bautista called down to the dugout. He told the coaching staff he couldn’t pitch that night.

“Right when I heard that thing ring, I told whoever was next to me, ‘That is not good,’” Mansolino said last week. “I didn’t know what it was, or who it was, but when it comes our way, that wasn’t good. I heard it get slammed after off, and I knew it wouldn’t be good, and it turned out to be really horrendous.”

Bautista is a critical piece of the bullpen. He holds a 2.60 ERA with 19 saves this year, his first since returning from a late 2023 Tommy John elbow reconstruction surgery that forced him to miss all of 2024.

The process of returning has featured its share of ups and downs. Bautista had to build his velocity back, and even though he reached the 100-mph mark a few times this summer, the velocity on his pitches didn’t fully return to pre-surgery levels. The Orioles also avoided using Bautista for multiple innings this season.

There seemed to be an issue in Bautista’s first appearance following the All-Star break, yet at the time, Mansolino said Baltimore figured the command issues and reduced velocity were due to an extended layoff between appearances.

Bautista threw a season-high 34 pitches against the Tampa Bay Rays on July 20. His sinker averaged 95.8 mph in that showing, which is more than a full mph slower than it usually was this year. Mansolino said there wasn’t an indication in the immediate aftermath that anything was wrong. But by Wednesday night, three days after his long outing against the Rays, Bautista informed his coaches that there was an issue.

It now is apparent the issue will take ample time from which to recover. With two months left in the season, it remains to be seen if Bautista makes a return in 2025.

While Mansolino had an update for Bautista, he said he didn’t have one for right-hander Grayson Rodriguez, who received an MRI on his elbow this month. Mansolino said more information was expected “in the coming week or so.”

Rodriguez has dealt with multiple issues since spring training. He faced a lat strain as well as elbow discomfort. He received a cortisone injection on the elbow in spring training, but his comeback attempts have slowed. This month, he was pulled back from his throwing progression and next steps remain to be seen.