Orioles closer Zach Britton, whose season ended in late September after he received a stem-cell injection for his ailing left knee, was cleared for a normal offseason Friday.
Britton, 29, received a clean bill of health from orthopedist Dr. Keith Meister, who allowed the left-hander to prepare for next season as he normally would, without any restrictions after a follow-up appointment in Dallas.
Britton plans to begin offseason workouts earlier than normal as he looks toward 2018, especially since he received extra rest because he was shut down in the season's final two weeks. He said Saturday that he hopes to start doing some things next week.
"I'm going to start earlier than I have," Britton said in a text message. "I want to get my body over any of the issues I had this season."
Next season will be an important one for Britton, not just in rebounding from an injury-plagued 2017, but also because it will be his last before he is eligible for free agency.
If he can show he's healthy, he could reap the benefits from the recent increased values being placed on late-inning relievers in free agency.
The Orioles lefty has pitched through discomfort in his knee since 2014 and throughout the entirety of his American League record 60-game consecutive-saves streak.
This past season, Britton struggled to duplicate his success of 2016, when he converted all 47 save opportunities, allowed just four earned runs over 67 innings for a 0.54 ERA and finished fourth in American League Cy Young Award voting.
Britton, who posted a 2.89 ERA and converted 15 of 17 save opportunities in 2017, hadn't landed on the disabled list since assuming the closer job in 2014 until this past season. His spring training was slowed by an oblique injury and he missed most of the first half with an unconventional left forearm strain. Unlike most forearm strains for pitchers, which are located closer to the elbow and are precursors to elbow reconstruction, Britton's injury was in the belly of the forearm.
Britton returned in July, and he posted a 3.20 ERA in the second half of the season, though most of his struggles came in nonsave opportunities. Britton began to find his old form in September and he posted a 1.80 ERA over 10 innings that month.
The Orioles also nearly traded Britton to the Houston Astros before the non-waiver trade deadline, but a deal fell apart at the last minute.
After Britton's save streak ended with a blown save on Aug. 23 at home against the Oakland Athletics, it was announced that he would receive an MRI on his knee. That test showed no structural damage _ though he was pitching through a mild PCL strain. Britton pitched well down the stretch, allowing just two runs over his last 12 innings and pitching scoreless outings in nine of his last 10 appearances.
But as the Orioles fell out of the playoff picture in the final weeks of September, the Orioles shelved Britton and he received a stem-cell injection on Sept. 22, which all but officially ended his season.
Part of the purpose of getting the stem-cell injection was in order to accelerate the recovery from the PCL strain to ensure that Britton would have a normal healthy offseason in anticipation for 2018.
Britton was initially scheduled to see Dr. Neal ElAttrache for clearance this month, but instead went to Meister, who is also the Texas Rangers team physician, because Britton is currently living nearby in Austin, Texas, and has seen Meister before.
Britton plans to spend the offseason working out at his agent Scott Boras' training facility _ the Boras Sports Training Institute _ in Newport Beach, Calif., and will also do some offseason training with Orioles vice president of baseball operations Brady Anderson and assistant strength coach Ryo Naito in Southern California.
