Chris Bassitt was placed upon The Orioles‘ Placed on the 10-day injured list on June 5 due to back pain that has plagued the right fielder all season. The answer was a minor surgery last month in which a bone was removed from Bassitt’s spine, and Bassitt told Jacob Calvin Meyer of the Baltimore Sun that he believes he is the first major leaguer to undergo such a procedure. Despite the uncertainty surrounding this new type of surgery, Bassitt is already feeling much better, and has begun his pitching progression in the form of a long toss session on Friday and a few bullpen scheduled for this week.
Because the O’s moved Bassitt to IL for 60 days yesterday, August 4 is the earliest he can return to Baltimore’s rotation. While it’s unlikely that Bassitt will return any time soon, he appears to be making enough progress that a mid-August return seems possible, assuming there are no hiccups in his recovery. With only a 5.27 ERA to show for his first 56 1/3 innings in an Orioles uniform, it’s fair to say that Bassitt’s back issues have limited his performance, so a healthy Bassitt could provide a boost to an O’s team that could be in the playoff race come August. What looked like a lost season for the Orioles was revived by the team’s seven-game winning streak, which put Baltimore two games out of the wild-card spot in the crowded American League.
More injury updates from the AL East…
- The Yankees Manager Aaron Boone told Greg Joyce of the New York Post and other reporters that Carlos Rodon received a PRP shot among other injections following a 10-pitch bullpen session on Friday. This isn’t really a setback, as the plan is for Rodon to throw a full bullpen before the week is out. The lefty hasn’t pitched since June 28 because of inflammation in his throwing elbow, and Rodon is expected to have a 4- to 6-week recovery time, putting him in line to return to the Yankees in early August. More details about Rodon’s recovery (such as whether or not he will need a minor league rehab assignment) will be known once he gets into his pitching progression.
- Max Scherzer had three cortisone injections in his right thumb last Monday, Blue Jays Manager John Schneider told reporters (including Keegan Matheson of MLB.com) and other reporters on Friday. It looks like Scherzer is on the verge of making what could be his final major league rehab game before being started in the IL, but Schneider described the situation as “a little break,” instead of undoing. “Everything else is fine – arm, ankle, back. We’re trying to get all the stuff out of the way….then when we hit ‘go,’ it can go and not have these stores in it..” Scherzer has been limited to 22 innings of 10.23 ERA ball that he has pitched this season, between two IL sticks.
- There was more bad news for another who was full of injuries Blue Jays player, as Anthony Santander he was sidelined for a week after getting a cortisone shot in his left shoulder. Since signing a five-year, $92.5MM free agent contract with Toronto in the 2024-25 offseason, Santander has played in 54 regular-season games through 2025 and is out this season, due to ongoing shoulder issues. Santander underwent labral surgery in February to try to fix the problem permanently, but we are now in a 5 to 6 month recovery period with no indication yet of when Santander will be able to get back on the field this year.
