Chris Bassitt was placed on the Orioles‘ 10-day injured list on June 5 due to back soreness that had bothered the right-hander all season. The answer was a minor surgery last month that saw a bone spur removed from Bassitt’s lumbar spine area, and Bassitt told the Baltimore Sun’s Jacob Calvin Meyer that he believes he is the first big league player to undergo such a procedure. Despite the uncertainty around such a new type of surgery, Bassitt is already feeling much better, and he has started his throwing progression in the form a long-toss session on Friday and a couple of bullpens planned for this week.
Because the O’s moved Bassitt to the 60-day IL yesterday, August 4 is the earliest possible date he’ll be able to return to Baltimore’s rotation. While it’s probably unlikely that Bassitt is back quite that early, it seems like he’s making enough progress that a return by mid-August seems feasible, assuming no setbacks in his recovery. With only a 5.27 ERA to show for his first 56 1/3 innings in an Orioles uniform, it is fair to say that Bassitt’s recurring back issues limited his performance, so a healthy Bassitt might provide a boost to an O’s team that could still be in a playoff race in August. What was looking like a lost Orioles season has been revived by the team’s ongoing seven-game winning streak, putting Baltimore two games out of a wild card slot in the crowded American League.
More injury updates from the AL East…
- Yankees manager Aaron Boone told the New York Post’s Greg Joyce and other reporters that Carlos Rodon received a PRP shot amongst other injections following a 10-pitch bullpen session on Friday. This isn’t necessarily a setback, as the plan is for Rodon to throw a full bullpen before the week is over. The left-hander hasn’t pitched since June 28 due to inflammation in his throwing elbow, and Rodon is thought to have a 4-to-6 week recovery period, putting him in line to return to the Yankees in early-to-mid August. More details on Rodon’s recovery (like if he’ll need a minor league rehab assignment or not) will be known once he gets deeper into his throwing progression.
- Max Scherzer had three cortisone injections in his right thumb last Monday, Blue Jays manager John Schneider told reporters (including MLB.com’s Keegan Matheson) and other reporters on Friday. It seemed like Scherzer was on the verge of making what might’ve been his final minor league rehab outing before being activated from the IL, but Schneider described the situation as “a bit of a pause,” rather than a setback. “Everything else is feeling good — arm, ankle, back. We’re trying to knock out all of the stuff around it….then when we hit ‘go,’ he can go and not have these stalls in between.” Scherzer has been limited to 22 innings of 10.23 ERA ball when he has been able to pitch this season, in between two IL stints.
- There was more bad news for another injury-riddled Blue Jays player, as Anthony Santander was shut down for around 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 only 54 regular-season games in 2025 and none this season, largely due to recurring shoulder issues. Santander underwent labral surgery in February to try and address the problem once and for all, but we’re now into the projected 5-to-6 month recovery period with no sign yet about when Santander might be able to make it onto the field this year.
