Orioles reliever Andrew Kittredge doubtful for opening day with shoulder inflammation

SARASOTA, Fla. — Orioles right-hander Andrew Kittredge is unlikely to be ready for opening day due to right shoulder inflammation, manager Craig Albernaz said. The inflammation affecting the 35-year-old reliever has slowed his throwing progression.

Albernaz said the shoulder inflammation “creeped up” during Kittredge’s last outing on Feb. 25. His velocity was noticeably down in that appearance. His sinker was 3.4 mph slower on average than it was last season, according to Statcast.

“We just want to do right by him and make sure we get that knocked out,” Albernaz said. “It’s a slow progression. We’ll kind of see where it goes. As we look forward to opening day, possibly a low probability of opening day. For saying that, we just want to make sure he’s not rushing this. We just want to make sure he’s getting the inflammation knocked out and he gets back to being Andrew Kittredge.

“So, we don’t want to put any timeline in front of him.”

Kittredge was poised to be a key late-inning reliever for Baltimore. The Orioles traded Kittredge away ahead of the deadline last season but reacquired him in a trade with the Chicago Cubs this winter.

Last year, Kittredge pitched to a 3.40 ERA in 53 innings between his time with the Orioles and Cubs. Kittredge was one of two external relievers brought in this winter, along with closer Ryan Helsley.

Without Kittredge, the Orioles have an even more wide-open bullpen competition. Helsley is a lock. Beyond him, there are front-runners, such as Yennier Canó, Rico Garcia and Keegan Akin. Left-hander Grant Wolfram’s spring training performances have elevated his profile as a bullpen fit.

The Orioles can also turn to right-hander Tyler Wells, who was informed he will be in the bullpen mix rather than the rotation competition.

“He just wants to go out there and compete, and it also raises our floor in the ‘pen,” Albernaz said. “To me, that’s the biggest value with him, is between the fifth and ninth inning. He can pitch leverage. He has the stuff for it. He has the makeup. But also, he can pitch early in the game too.”

That flexibility is required in a “high-functioning bullpen,” Albernaz said.

Wells has pitched out of the bullpen before. In 2021, his first season with Baltimore, he produced a 4.11 ERA in 57 innings of relief. He then moved into the rotation in 2022 and was solid, with a 4.25 ERA in 23 starts. He was even more successful in 2023 with a 3.64 ERA in 25 appearances, 20 of them starts. But he missed most of the last two seasons due to elbow surgery.

It’s not unusual for the bullpen to be a relatively uncertain area during spring training. Still, that’s where the Orioles are.

Félix Bautista starts throwing

While Félix Bautista is far from a return, he made the first key step toward the mound Tuesday when he threw 25 pitches from flat ground at a 45-foot distance. Bautista, who is recovering from shoulder surgery, is hopeful he can return by the end of the season.

Recent years have been difficult on Bautista, who is one of the most dominant closers when healthy. He underwent Tommy John elbow reconstruction surgery and missed all of 2024. He returned in 2025 and posted a 2.60 ERA in 34 2/3 innings before his shoulder required surgery.

“These are both really important and difficult surgeries to go through,” Bautista said through team interpreter Brandon Quinones. “Obviously, Tommy John was a lot as well, but I think having gone through that now, I think I’m taking this one on with more patience and a bit better understanding of what I need to do to come back from it and recover.”

Jackson Holliday begins swinging

Orioles infielder Jackson Holliday will begin swinging with both hands Thursday, which is a positive benchmark in his recovery from surgery to remove the broken hamate bone from his right hand. He began throwing last week and was already swinging with one hand.

Holliday remains unlikely to be ready for opening day. But so far, his progression has gone smoothly.