SARASOTA, Fla. — Félix Bautista didn’t realize it was going to be this hard.

The Orioles’ closer had never suffered a long-term injury, overcoming plenty of hurdles in his life to reach the point in which he was saving games for a Baltimore team in the middle of a pennant race — but avoiding any major surgeries that would’ve cost him an entire season.

That all changed in August 2023 when Bautista tore the ulnar collateral ligament in his elbow, forcing him to undergo Tommy John surgery that October and spend the next year and a half rehabilitating away from the field and away from most of his teammates.

Faced with the uncertainty of whether he would ever pitch at an All-Star level again, Bautista turned to a family that lived five blocks away from his childhood home in Manoguayabo, a town just west of Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic. He turned to Hall of Famer Pedro Martínez and his brother Ramón, seeking advice on how to navigate a path forward and what he could do to boost his chances of returning to form as an elite MLB reliever.

“He shared with me some of the experiences that he’s been through. He shared with me that he dealt with a shoulder injury back in the day as well,” Bautista said of Pedro through team interpreter Brandon Quinones. “He told me, ‘Hey, I understand what you’re going through. I know it’s difficult but you just got to keep working hard. You’ll get through it. Just trust the process.’ But it was really cool to hear that from him and knowing that he was there to offer his support and help motivate me.”

For the first 10 months of his rehabilitation process, Bautista remained in the U.S. so the Orioles could track his progression at their spring training complex. From there, however, he started spending more time at the Martínez brothers’ RPM Baseball Labs, a Dominican-based baseball academy for teenage prospects and facility where MLB pitchers such as Bautista and Boston Red Sox right-hander Brayan Bello work to fine tune their arsenals.

“When I got over there, things were going really well,” Bautista said. “Things were going according to plan. It was more so just continuing the progression and focusing on the smaller details but things were going really well.”

Among the most prominent coaches at RPM who can be found studying a pitcher’s delivery or breaking down a pitch grip is the elder Ramón, a former All-Star in his own right who spent several years in the Orioles’ organization as a special assignment pitching instructor.

Both Ramón and his nephew, Pedro’s eldest son Pedro “Pedrito” Martínez, have known Bautista for years, introducing many of the key elements to his delivery that helped propel him to stardom. They worked with him in the months leading up to this year’s spring training to help him get comfortable in his mechanics again.

“We’re the finishers,” RPM Baseball Labs coordinator Gio Hernández, who works closely with the Martínez family and has known Bautista for seven years, said in a phone interview. “We do the little things that all the coaches didn’t see, because that’s what Ramón does. … When he finished working with Pedrito on whatever windup, arm position, release point, then he comes to Ramón to make sure everything is on the spot. Everything is the way it’s supposed to be.”

Just as important for Bautista was clearing the mental hurdle of overcoming a long-term injury, a process that can test as much of a player’s fortitude as it does their physical abilities. His lack of experience with lengthy surgery recoveries forced him to push himself in ways he never had before, and RPM worked with him to help him get out of his comfort zone. Being back in his home country didn’t hurt, either.

“We focus on that confidence,” Hernández said. “Psychologically, we enter to his mind like, ‘Listen, relax. I know you’re going to be scared but, little by little, you’re going to get the confidence. You’re going to throw your ball. You’re going to feel little pains, whatever, and then you’re going to get a little scared. But don’t worry, that’s part of the process.”

Bautista reported to Orioles’ spring training in February riding that confidence, eager to get back on the mound and pitch in front of a crowd again. He did just that March 3, striking out the first two batters he faced and sitting between 96 and 97 mph with his sinker. The home crowd at Ed Smith Stadium gave him a standing ovation on his way out from the bullpen and he couldn’t help but crack a smile when catcher Adley Rutschman hugged him after the inning.

“That’s the highlight of the camp so far in a big-time way,” manager Brandon Hyde said. “Just the smile on his face and throwing 97, feeling great. I know that’s another box checked for him, and it was great to see him out there.”

The Orioles have high expectations for Bautista, who won the Mariano Rivera American League Reliever of the Year Award in 2023 despite spending the final month on the injured list. He expects to be fully ramped up by opening day with his sinker velocity back up to his previous average of 99.5 mph while being the Orioles’ top choice for save situations.

Baltimore does plan to be cautious with Bautista this year, avoiding using him on back-to-back days or for more than one inning in a game for at least the first half of the season. But his return is impactful as any of the offseason additions the Orioles made for their roster. His hard work is finally about to pay off.

“I do feel content with where I’m at right now,” Bautista said. “I know that with the work that I’m putting in and the progression that I’ll continue going through, I know I’ll get back to those previous forms.”