The Baltimore Orioles are a team that have flown under the radar for much of the 2026 season, and while they showed plenty of potential throughout the campaign, this is a team that’s quickly falling out of contention in the American League.
While the Blue Jays and Red Sox are surging in the AL East, the Orioles are struggling mightily, and now, with a record of 58-63, they’re now sitting in last place in the division standings. That doesn’t mean they’re giving up on the season however, and with around seven weeks to go, the team have made an announcement on a key piece of their starting rotation.
Chris Bassitt Returns from the Injured List
GettyChris Bassitt of the Baltimore Orioles.
That key pitcher would be veteran right-hander Chris Bassitt, who last pitched for the Orioles on June 3rd after signing a one-year, $18 million deal with the team this past winter, with the team clearly not getting much return for that deal as of yet due to injury.
However, he could be in for an interesting final stretch of the season, as the team officially announced on Friday that not only has Bassitt been reinstated from the 60-day Injured List, he’s also going to start for the team on Friday against the Tampa Bay Rays.
This is a much needed boost for the Orioles rotation, with the team allowing five or more runs in five of their last six games played, and given that they’re just two games back of the final Wild Card spot in the American League, getting back a veteran like Bassitt will be a huge boost. Before he was injured, the 37-year-old was struggling for consistency as he posted a 4-4 record across 12 appearances with a 5.27 ERA in 56.1 innings of work, with the team desperately needing the pitcher they saw in Toronto last season.
Can the Orioles Make a Genuine Post-Season Push?
Despite their recent up-and-down play, the Orioles are right in the fight in the loaded American League, and while Bassitt isn’t the starter that he once was, if he can keep them in games, the team have an opportunity to make a genuine post-season push late into September in baseballs toughest division.
The offense needs to pick it up as well for that to happen, with the team thriving in their wins but struggling immensely in their losses, and until they find that balance and consistency over weeks of play, this isn’t a team that’s going to strike fear into their opponents in the Wild Card race.
Ultimately though, Bassitt’s return as not only a pitcher but a veteran leader with World Series experience in the dugout will be a major boost to this organization, and while nobody expected them to compete after being sellers at the trade deadline, they’ve got an opportunity to surprise some people in the next seven weeks.
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