Chris Bassitt Placed on DL With Elbow Strain; Undergoes MRI
Bad News for Oakland Athletics Starter Chris Bassitt?
On Friday, the Oakland Athletics added right-hander Chris Bassitt to the 15-day disabled list with an elbow strain. The move came after a start against the Detroit Tigers in which Bassitt exited the game after just 3.2 innings of work. In his brief outing, he allowed ten hits and walked three, giving up seven runs – although he did strike out five in that time.
In 2016, the young right-hander has posted an 0-2 record to accompany a 6.11 ERA, despite striking out 23 batters in 28 innings. Over his five starts, his velocity has declined, and he’s struggled to get results in his last two outings.
MLB.com’s Jane Lee reported that Bassitt has experienced the elbow issues all season, but it worsened in his start against the Tigers and he decided to tell the Athletics’ trainers:
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"“I was, to say the least, really upset after yesterday. Hopefully we caught it before it’s anything significant, but I guess we’ll find out."
Lee also reported that Bassitt explained his reasoning for keeping quiet during the early part of the season:
"“I didn’t want to say anything because I’ve worked harder than I ever have this offseason. I felt so excited and prepared going into this season, and for this to happen, it really sucks. The way I’m feeling right now, I can’t throw right now.”"
There’s no point in speculating about whether Chris Bassitt’s MRI will return bad news or relatively good news, but it’s safe to say that the health of the A’s rotation is already a concern. Taking Bassitt’s place will be right-hander Jesse Hahn, who is currently dealing with a blister issue.
So far this season, Hahn has made four starts for the Triple-A Nashville Sounds. He has a 2.04 ERA and 13 strikeouts in 17.2 innings of work, but he’s allowed 16 hits and walked nine. Depending on how serious his blister issue was – and it was allegedly serious enough to result in Sean Manaea getting the call for Friday’s start instead – Hahn could produce mixed results in his first major league outing of the season.
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To clear room on the 40-man roster for Manaea, outfielder Sam Fuld was transferred to the 60-day disabled list. Fuld is expected to undergo season-ending shoulder surgery. In other Friday roster moves, catcher/outfielder Matt McBride was optioned to Triple-A, while reliever Andrew Triggs was recalled. Triggs had not cleared the 10-day waiting period that is typically required of players who are optioned to the minors, but that rule is lifted in the event that someone (in this case, Bassitt) is sent to the disabled list.
Until the results of Bassitt’s MRI are returned, A’s fans can only hope it’s not as serious as it sounds.