Chris Bassitt spent part of his weekend in the Orioles’ clubhouse at Great American Ball Park doing what he usually does: keeping things light, talking with teammates and bouncing between two TVs, one carrying a baseball game and the other a World Cup soccer match.
That kind of energy has made him a steady presence even while he’s been sidelined. Manager Craig Albernaz said Bassitt doesn’t look or sound like a player dealing with a back issue.
“You wouldn’t know that he’s had back surgery and is on the IL. He’s still the same person, which is awesome,” Albernaz said.
“That’s a credit to him and the person he is. It’s great having him around, just being that sounding board for the rest of the players in there.”
Bassitt’s injury situation has been unusual from the start. The 37-year-old right-hander didn’t have a standard back operation.
Instead, he had a procedure to remove a bone spur from the facet joint near his lumbar spine. Mike Elias described it as a “minor” operation, and Bassitt said the same thing after the surgery was performed by Dr.
Brandon Rebholz in Milwaukee.
Bassitt said he was “excited as hell” to get it done because the discomfort never let up. He went on the 15-day injured list on June 8, then received a facet injection to his lower back in mid-June, but that didn’t solve the problem.
“All the medicine and [stuff] wasn’t working. So I was like, ‘Please, let’s do it,’” Bassitt said. “Let’s do it as fast as we can.”
The issue was affecting him in a strange way while he pitched. Bassitt said the bone spur made it feel almost like he had a lat injury. And because this kind of procedure is so uncommon, he believes he may be the first baseball player to go through it.
“We’re kind of writing the script a little bit,” Bassitt said. “There’s no data on it.”
Bassitt’s first season in Baltimore hasn’t gone the way he or the Orioles expected after he signed a one-year, $18.5 million deal. In 12 appearances, including 10 starts, he posted a 5.27 ERA and a 1.63 WHIP across 56 1/3 innings.
Even so, Bassitt is holding out hope that he can make it back before the season ends and give the Orioles something they weren’t getting in the first half.
“Obviously, I want to be out there. I want to perform,” Bassitt said.
“I feel like I’m pretty realistic and pretty hard on myself, and I was like, ‘I’m not helping the team.’ I’m putting Shane [Baz] in a bad spot.
I’m putting [Trevor] Rogers in a bad spot, especially because those two are before and after me [in the rotation]. And then, it was obviously Kyle [Bradish] is in a bad spot, [Brandon Young] is in a bad spot, because everyone’s trying to make up for the lack of my performance.
“So yeah, it was just one of those things where it was like, ‘Hey, I’ve got to get right so I can help these guys.’ Rather than being a liability, I can be an asset again.”
In Other News...
Contender Now Linked To One Orioles Bat Fans Feared Losing
The trade deadline is starting to draw some familiar names into the rumor mill, and for Orioles fans, one of the more uncomfortable ones is a bat they have grown attached to. CBS Sports Mike Axisa recently pegged Taylor Ward as a possible fit for a Phillies club that has improved under Don Mattingly and looks like a buyer, with the appeal tied to his on-base ability and right-handed swing even as his home run total has dipped.
For Baltimore, the intrigue is less about Philadelphias needs than what Ward represents if the market keeps warming up. He is viewed as the kind of rental a contender can chase before he reaches free agency after the season, which is exactly the sort of profile that tends to stir deadline noise around a player who has become part of the Orioles everyday picture. The question now is how aggressive that pursuit gets, and whether Baltimore is forced to weigh short-term value against the kind of return that could make moving him easier to stomach. [Read more 🡒]
Orioles Suddenly Have A Taylor Ward Problem At The Worst Time
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That slide has already been noticed outside Baltimore, too. ESPNs latest trade-chip rankings have Ward slipping from 12th in the first edition to 24th now, a reminder that his market is changing along with his production. The Orioles would love to see him straighten things out over the next stretch, not just because they need the offense, but because a stronger finish would give them a much better position when the deadline conversations really start to heat up. [Read more 🡒]
Orioles Bullpen Concerns Just Grew As Another Lineup Shuffle Looms
The Orioles bullpen picture took another hit with Keegan Akin now seeking a second opinion on his left elbow, while Colin Selby remains on the 60-day injured list and Ryan Helsley is still working through treatment on his right elbow. For a club already trying to patch together innings, the latest medical updates only add to the pressure on a relief group that has been asked to absorb a lot this season.
At the same time, Baltimore is trying to manage the rest of the roster with an eye on a Cubs matchup that brings a left-handed starter into the mix. The lineup card reflects that balancing act, with the Orioles turning to several younger bats and moving pieces around as they look for the right combination, even as the bullpen uncertainty keeps hanging over the day. [Read more 🡒]