The Athletics optioned Bassitt to Triple-A Nashville on Sunday, Julian McWilliams of The Athletic Bay Area reports.
After having large chunks of his 2016 and 2017 seasons wiped out while recovering from Tommy John surgery, Bassitt is still trying to regain the velocity he lost and hadn't performed well enough in the spring for the Athletics to justify keeping him with the big club. According to McWilliams, Bassitt said he was unsure of his role in the organization going forward, but expect the Athletics to provide clarity in the near future regarding whether the right-hander will be deployed as a starter or reliever as he reports to Nashville.