Brady

Basso

Basso was pushing for a spot in the Athletics’ bullpen before being shut down with a shoulder strain at the beginning of March. There is not yet a firm timeline for his return to the mound.

Basso made seven appearances (four starts) last year for the Athletics in his first taste of the majors. The 27-year-old southpaw’s absence represents a hit to the Athletics’ starting pitching depth, but he wasn’t expected to break camp in the big-league rotation.

Basso’s season with him giving up five runs in three innings versus the Rangers last night.

The Rangers got to Basso right away, with Wyatt Langford smashing a two-run homer in the first inning. A walk and two base hits brought one more run in to score in the opening frame. After a scoreless second, Adolis Garcia took him deep for a two-run shot to start the third. Basso would complete the inning and was done for the night. The 26-year-old right-hander has posted a 4.03 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, and a 19/5 K/BB ratio across 22 1/3 innings.

He struck out five. Basso, who opened with four scoreless frames, left with the A’s down 3-1, but the offense picked him up afterwards. The A’s could have him come back and make two starts next week, but it seems more likely that he’ll pitch just once against the Rangers on Tuesday or Wednesday.

Basso wasn’t as sharp tonight as in his previous start against the Tigers, but he didn’t need to be versus this lineup. He wound up with six missed swings in the 77-pitch outing, and he gave up nine hard-hit balls. Still, all five hits he allowed were singles. Things will get a bit more difficult with the Cubs next up for him. He’s a mediocre play in mixed leagues.

Basso was sent down Sunday, and he’s able to be recalled just two days later because Osvaldo Bido (undisclosed) was placed on the 15-day injured list. Basso pitched well in his start against the Tigers on Sunday with six shutout innings, and he’ll likely make a start over the weekend against the White Sox.

Basso will head back to Triple-A after pitching well in his first MLB start with six shutout innings against the Tigers on Sunday. He could be back before the season ends, but obviously time is running out on that happening. Brandon Bielak was brought up from Triple-A in the corresponding transaction.

Basso, recalled Thursday, previously made three relief appearances for the A’s in May and June. His big curveball has been a nice strikeout pitch for him in the minors, and it served him fairly well today, too. Still, he might be more interesting in relief for the long run. On the other hand, this should earn him another start, one that will most likely come against the White Sox. That makes him a decent enough play in mixed leagues for one week.

Basso rejoins Oakland’s bullpen ahead of Thursday’s contest against the Mariners in place of Janson Junk. The 26-year-old rookie southpaw has made three relief appearances this season at the highest level.