San Francisco Chronicle - (Sunday)
Bassitt throws bullpen session: ‘Arm feels great’
Right-hander Chris Bassitt took a significant step in his return from facial fractures Saturday, throwing a bullpen session at the Coliseum before the A’s 8-6 loss to the Texas Rangers.
“Like riding a bike,” Bassitt said. “Obviously good to get back up on (a mound). But yeah, it was good.”
It marked Bassitt’s first time throwing from a mound since he was struck by a line drive Aug. 17 during his start in Chicago. Bassitt had surgery Aug. 24 to correct a tripod fracture in his right cheek area and have bone fragments removed. He threw about 30 pitches Saturday, fastballs and breaking balls.
“Body feels great, arm feels great,” Bassitt said. “Again, it’s just a very frustrating process just because there’s a lot of boxes to check, obviously, with a head injury.”
Bassitt also did some pitcher fielding drills after his throwing session. He said that was mainly to test his vision in those scenarios: “Just with eye injuries and head injuries and all that, movement can give you a little bit of blurriness,” Bassitt said. “We were testing it to make sure that wasn’t there, and it wasn’t.”
A’s general manager David Forst, manager Bob Melvin, trainer Nick Paparesta and pitching coach Scott Emerson were among those watching Bassitt’s bullpen session. The A’s have left open-ended if Bassitt might return this season. Bassitt has stated his goal to return but deferred questions about any timeline to those decision-makers.
Melvin said Bassitt is scheduled for another bullpen session Wednesday. Bassitt will travel with the A’s on their next trip and throw that bullpen in Kansas City, likely with hitters standing in, Melvin said.
“Knock wood, I’m glad it’s gone in this fashion, but it doesn’t surprise me with him,” Melvin said. “He’s prepared for it. He was pushing to get out there as quickly as he possibly could. Obviously, we’ve got to make sure everything’s healed in there, and the doctors have to clear him. But after that, with him, it’s just going to be all systems go.
“Today was kind of the first step in the direction of trying to get back with our team and maybe even for multiple games.”
Bassitt, who is 12-4 with a 3.22 ERA in 25 starts this season, said he is “surprised it’s going as smoothly as it is because of how much crap was wrong.”
“But once I had surgery and realized I’m going to be OK, no, I’m not surprised after that,” he said. “I can deal with uncomfortable stuff. I can deal with pain and stuff like that. But I mean, watching the guys out there grinding and trying to get to the postseason is all the motivation I really need. So I’m good with being weird and uncomfortable and just going out there. I’m good with that.”
Chapman exits: Third baseman Matt Chapman left the A’s loss mid-game after fouling a ball off his left shin and ankle area. An X-ray came back negative, but the third baseman is unlikely to play in Sunday’s series finale against Texas, Melvin said.
“He’s been doing that quite a bit here recently and just wasn’t able to put too much pressure on it after that point, so we got him out of there,” Melvin said. “This is something that’s been going on for a little while and (he) kind of reinjured it again today fouling another one off there.”
Chapman took his last at-bat in the third inning and fouled the second pitch of a strikeout off his lower leg. He played defense in the fourth inning but was replaced before the fifth. Josh Harrison moved from second base to third and Tony Kemp entered the game at second.
Chapman has played in 137 of 142 games for Oakland this season. He entered Saturday hitting .220 with a .735 OPS but had a 1.105 OPS with 11 home runs over his past 23 games entering Saturday.
Fiers update: Right-hander Mike Fiers is set to pitch in a minor-league rehab game for Triple-A Las Vegas next week, Melvin said. Fiers, who threw to hitters Friday in Oakland, is returning from an elbow injury that has sidelined him since May.