• Here is a must-read article from The Athletic on the difference between AAA and the majors. Here is an example of how Jackson Holliday may be performing fine in AAA but the reason he was exposed in the majors has not been addressed so he hasn’t been promoted.

Back in Triple A, Holliday now has an .895 OPS, but the Orioles are not rushing him back to Baltimore. Teams, perhaps more than ever, are having to dig into underlying numbers and trying to determine what is real and what is not.

“There’s so many more details that get exposed in the big leagues that we try to look at a little deeper when we’re looking at Triple-A players,” Hinch said. “It’s not easy, because we don’t want to create the notion that statistics don’t matter or (how) you perform doesn’t matter, because it does. But it’s not always the end-all, be-all.”

American League

Angels

• Carlos Estévez made some changes to be more consistent with his release point.

Estévez, however, has fixed the problem. On Wednesday, he was named the American League reliever of the month for June. At one point, he retired 26 consecutive batters over more than a month. The 31-year-old has been elite, allowing just two baserunners in June. And just in time for the trade deadline.

He’s credited the improvement to a mechanical fix that makes his fastball and slider have more consistent release points. He’s also had a more consistent feel of his off-speed pitches, and doesn’t feel the need to rely as heavily on his fastball.

Here are some examples (picked because of the number of pitches thrown)

April 29th

June 25th

Some differences can be seen. Maybe.

Astros

• The manager plans on using his high-leverage relievers to close out games when winning by four or more runs. Additionally, the team warms up several relievers at once which might cause the bullpen to wear down.

Generally, high-leverage relievers are reserved for leads of three or fewer runs, though forward-thinking franchises and managers are flexible. Houston’s circumstances have forced Espada to be that and more.

“It’s just more trying to make sure we secure that win. We do have some guys in the back end of our bullpen — even our middle relievers — that I feel comfortable giving the ball to at any moment of the game,” Espada said Wednesday.

“For me, it’s not philosophical, it’s just we’re in a position that we need to try to get to .500. We have guys that are rested, so we’re trying to just secure those wins.”

…

Scott awoke Sunday as one of just 16 relievers who has already thrown 40 innings this year. He added two more during Houston’s extra-inning win against the Mets, lowering his ERA to 1.49. Factor in how many times Scott has warmed up without entering a game and he’s among the most taxed relievers on the team. Espada is far more prone to double-barreling relievers in his bullpen than Dusty Baker, adding another wrinkle to this quandary.

Warming up two pitchers at once means the club is prepared for any in-game scenario, but how much it affects the arm that isn’t summoned is a legitimate question. Balance is needed. Montero’s pitching more like someone making $11.5 million would help, too.

Blue Jays

• The manager wants George Springer, Bo Bichette, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., and Justin Turner at the top of the lineup.

Schneider has expressed the goal of having the top of Toronto’s order return to Springer, Bo Bichette, Guerrero and Justin Turner, who was placed on the paternity list Wednesday. During the offensive struggles, the Blue Jays manager has reimagined the lineup many times, but he has previously spoken about how, in an ideal world, he would close his eyes and fill out the first four in his batting order.

Of those four, only Bichette continues to slump, though he hit a double in Wednesday’s loss and Schneider has been persistent that he believes the shortstop will turn things around soon. Whether it’s soon enough is another matter. For now, Spencer Horwitz, who has hit .288/.420/.470 in 22 games since he came up on June 7, has occupied the No. 2 spot.

With his desire, I expect anyone else (e.g. Horwitz) currently hitting in the top four to be moved down once one of the four has a hot few games.

Rangers

• Josh Smith could see some time in the outfield. Also, Josh Jung will be the DH once he returns.

Bruce Bochy has said that Smith could get some outfield reps when Jung gets back, and he’s shown himself to be a versatile defender at multiple positions. It’s also likely that Jung will be eased back into it and will receive a lot of DH time, while Smith remains at third base, at least to start.

Royals

• Michael Massey will keep missing time while dealing with a chronic back issue.

Twice this year, Massey has been on the injured list with a lower-back injury, a chronic issue that he’s dealt with before and will likely have to manage. On June 24, he returned to the Royals’ active roster with a caveat: He would only serve as the designated hitter in games until he’s ready to play second base. The reason is because Massey’s point of injury was when he bends forward and backward, not when he’s rotating his back side to side.
…
“Now, what does it look like coming back?” head athletic trainer Kyle Turner said. “We’re not going to send him out there every single day. It might be go play a day, take a day off to DH. Some of that will be determined by matchup stuff, where he fits and what it does with the other part of the lineup. That’s the complexity of doing it here, whereas in Triple-A or Double-A, we set a schedule and the player just follows that plan.”

Yankees

• The Yankees don’t see any obvious issues with Luis Gil.

“I don’t think it’s a fatigue issue,” Boone said. “I think it’s a little-out-of-sorts issue and having a harder time correcting on the fly.”

The manager added, “He’s having a hard time self-correcting when he gets out of whack, and then the mechanics start to go a little bit. I thought overall the (pitch) profiles were better tonight. But still work to do.”

It’s time to throw the bulls**t flag. Over Gil’s last three starts, he has a 14.90 ERA (8.21 xFIP), 5.6 K/9, and 8.4 BB/9. I’m no rocket scientist but Gil can’t find the strike zone. Here is a graph of his Zone%, K%, and BB%.

His struggles to find the strike zone started before this three-start stretch but now the results match the underlying stats.

The lack of control might be from him dropping his release point.

The only times his four-seamer has averaged under 5.75 ft has been the last four games. His slider and change release points are also down.

On top of that, he’s been struggling to maintain his velocity throughout a start. While he did a better job of maintaining his velocity in his last start, his velocities were tanking in the start before that.

His slider is losing almost 4 mph.

With his velocity dropping, his pitch results degrade quickly.

He’s at his best when his fastball is at 96 mph or higher and his slider is at least 87 mph.

Putting it all together. He can’t throw strikes. His release point is dropping. He can’t maintain his velocity over a start. Threw fewer than 30 IP combined over the past two seasons.

He’s likely fatigued and I would not be surprised if he doesn’t throw until after the All-Star break to give him a refresher.

National League

Cardinals

• The team is considering going with a centerfield platoon once Tommy Edman returns from the IL.

Nootbaar’s versatility allows for both defensive formations, and we’ll likely see a combination. Where it gets more complicated is when Edman returns. Siani is too valuable of a center fielder to sit every day, but Edman is also a strong option. The Cardinals are mulling a center-field platoon as an option, though it would be a platoon of the position and not of the players. What does that mean? Essentially, Siani can start in center against right-handed starting pitchers and Edman in left, and Edman would still be in the starting lineup on days Siani starts.

Dodgers

• The team is considering keeping Miguel Rojas at shortstop once Mookie Betts returns from the IL while Betts plays second base.

“I would, I would,” manager Dave Roberts replied when asked by Mike DiGiovanna of the L.A. Times whether he’d consider keeping Rojas his everyday shortstop when Betts returns. “I don’t think anyone can debate the level of shortstop play from Miguel Rojas. Some of it is contingent on the timeline for Mookie’s return and where Miggy is physically and how things are going. But to your question, would I consider it? Absolutely.”

…

Keeping Rojas at shortstop and sliding Betts back over to second base in place of Gavin Lux could deepen the team’s lineup and improve the defense. The Athletic report notes that adding an everyday outfielder would allow the Dodgers to use Betts at second base and go with a platoon of Andy Pages and Jason Heyward in the outfield alongside the new acquisition and Teoscar Hernandez.

• Miguel Rojas is dealing with some lower body issues.

So as Rojas hobbled from the training room and past his manager’s office, Roberts stopped the veteran and told him he’d have Sunday off rather than start for the sixth time in seven days and 10th time in 12 games since Betts broke his hand. Rojas agreed.

“I need to recharge my batteries because I’m a player that plays all out, every single day and I feel like I empty the tank,” Rojas said. “I need to refuel.”

Rojas’ production wasn’t the reason the Dodgers bypassed him as their everyday shortstop to open this season. As much as flipping Betts and Gavin Lux in the middle infield boosted their lineup on paper, it also allowed the Dodgers to keep Rojas’ legs under him. The toll of time has taxed him. He missed time with a hamstring strain last April. At different points, Roberts has noted Rojas has been dealing with lower-body ailments — the latest being some lower leg soreness earlier this month that led to another tweak in footwear and pregame and postgame treatment.

Mets

• Jose Quintana has been making a few adjustments.

Lately, Quintana (4.57 ERA/4.89 FIP) has performed better after making a couple of adjustments. The ability to do so is a hallmark of his career since he does not throw hard. Over his past three starts, Quintana sought more swing-and-miss and has a 1.65 ERA in 16 1/3 innings with 21 strikeouts, though he lasted just four innings in his last start. He said he has leaned more on his secondary pitches, like his curveball, and has challenged batters inside more frequently.

The biggest adjustment is increasing his curveball usage from 25% to 34%.

• Tylor Megill will remain a starter in AAA.

Speculatively, the Mets could use a couple of starters as relievers, but sometimes teams are reluctant to do that because it takes time to build someone back up. Mendoza said Megill, for instance, would continue to make starts in Triple A.

Padres

• Jackson Merrill doesn’t plan on selling out for home runs but use the entire field.

Which brings us to the approach that helps him bash baseballs. Merrill is looking to drive pitches to all fields, not wanting to sell out and thus “close off one side.” He wants to, in baseball parlance, hit the ball where it’s pitched. Letting the ball travel is also part of his approach; Merrill views going the opposite way as his “gateway to success with two strikes.” While he understands he needs to improve his 4.5% walk rate and 36.0% chase rate, his 16.5% strikeout rate is comfortably better than league average. More often than not, Merrill gets his bat on the ball.

Making better swing decisions is a current focus for him, and not just when the bright lights come on. He works on his plate discipline during his pregame process.

• Xander Bogaerts will be using a new swing to project his shoulder.

Either way, Bogaerts appears to be on or ahead of schedule. He progressed last week to taking on-field batting practice, a significant test amid his recovery. To protect his shoulder, Bogaerts has been using a two-hand finish on each swing. He expects to continue doing so upon his return.

“It feels good. And obviously it’s a little different; my swing has a different feel,” Bogaerts said last week. “But for the most part, even in practice, I normally swing with two hands. So I’m used to that in practice.”

Pirates

• Luis L. Ortiz has been working on improving his four-seamer.

When Ortiz was a rookie in 2022, his four-seamer was getting 13.3 inches of horizontal movement. That might sound good, but four-seamers generally do better up in the zone when they have the illusion of rise. Cutting movement kills that illusion, so vertical movement is definitely better than horizontal in this case. This year, his four-seamer is down to 10.6 inches of run, while he’s getting more vertical movement (17.7 inches) compared to last year (16.3).

“It’s been hard work making sure that four-seamer has the spin I want it to have, that movement I want,” Ortiz said, via interpreter and coach Stephen Morales. “It’s been work I’ve been doing the last couple years, and I think it’s in a good spot right now.”

American League

Angels

• Mike Trout is not “running, hitting or throwing”.

Rendon is ahead of Trout in the rehab process. Trout has yet to progress to light baseball activities after he underwent surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his left knee on May 3. Trout has utilized the Alter-G treadmill but hasn’t tested out running, hitting or throwing like Rendon has. Still, Washington said Trout remains on schedule and hasn’t suffered any setbacks.

Read the rest of this entry »

• The Red Sox (quote) and Royals have moved from focusing on fastballs to utilizing their best pitches.

“That message at the very beginning was keeping the main thing, the main thing,” said Kevin Walker, who joined the Red Sox as an assistant pitching coach in 2020 and transitioned to bullpen coach the following year. “For each pitcher you have certain attributes that you’re really good at and we want to make sure that you use your best attributes more often.”

With the teams’ successes, I expect the league to go full copycat mode and do the same. For fantasy, I think there might be three actionable items. First, expect the overall offense to drop as hitters see fewer fastballs. Second, batters who can hit secondaries might have more value. Finally, pitchers who have good secondaries and throw their fastballs too much might be good targets for improvement.

• I could put up everything Lance Brozdowski writes when he examines pitcher changes, but I can’t and won’t. What I can do is recommend following his Substack to at least stay even with your competition.

Angels Patrick Sandoval continues to abandon his four-seam fastball. Usage through his first four starts was 31%. Usage in his last 4 starts has been 9%, toggling it down to 3% in yesterday’s gem. In those first 4 starts, the pitch had an xSLG of .502. The main beneficiaries have been his slider and his sinker, which are both up about 10 percentage points in usage. His overall xwOBA has gone from .324 in those first 4 starts down to .191 in his last 4. Smart adjustment by the Angels. Driveline Stuff+ has the four-seam as his worst pitch at 95. His slider is a plus-plus pitch at 133 Stuff+ and the sinker is marginally better than the four-seam at 99 Stuff+.

American League

Astros

• Jeremy Peña will not move up the lineup because his manager doesn’t want to disturb his rhythm.

Espada acknowledged Bregman’s extensive history of rebounding from brutal starts but must also consider how any adjustment will impact the rest of Houston’s lineup. One logical adjustment could be moving Jeremy Peña past Bregman and higher in the batting order, but Espada is wary of disturbing Peña’s rhythm during a torrid start to his season.

“I think that’s why he’s having the year he’s having. He’s in a spot where he’s comfortable and confident. I don’t want to mess around with that,” Espada said. “We need somebody behind our top four to drive those guys in and continue to move our offense forward. I think that’s why he’s having some success — he likes that five or six spot.”

• Joey Loperfido is still working at first base.

That Espada chose Mauricio Dubón to play first base over Loperfido in the 10th inning of Wednesday’s game again signals the lack of comfort. Jon Singleton’s continued emergence might mean Loperfido remains in the outfield full time, but he has been working with bench coach Omar López on the intricacies of first base. Espada pinch hit for him twice in the Mariners series when Seattle summoned a left-handed reliever, too, opting for a better platoon matchup over testing a prospect in a tight spot.

Red Sox

• The team is focusing on “first-pitch strikes, best pitches in two-strike counts, lowering walk percentage, increasing strike percentage, and limiting barrels.”

First-pitch strikes, best pitches in two-strike counts, lowering walk percentage, increasing strike percentage, and limiting barrels became Boston’s North Star. In spring training, the metrics were tracked and prizes for top pitchers in each category were distributed. It’s continued in-season despite the marathon nature of a 162-game schedule. To maintain accountability, every two weeks players get updates on where they stand in each category. The internal competition has helped the group thrive and sustain success for nearly a quarter of the season.

Twins

• Royce Lewis is struggling with this rehab more than his other ones. Right now, he’s just waiting for the torn muscle to reattach.

He sees his friends having fun and pursuing a club record winning streak. He feels like he’s healing from his right quad strain from Opening Day, but the Twins aren’t telling him too much about his recovery as he waits — and he doesn’t like talking to doctors anymore, because all they give him is bad news, it seems, about how he still can’t play baseball with his friends.

“It’s the most challenging rehab I’ve ever had,” Lewis said.

And that’s coming from the guy who spent the bulk of two years recovering from two different ACL surgeries on the same knee.
…
But now, he’s just waiting until the doctors clear him to play. He’s not sure when that will be. He’s five and a half weeks into what was expected to be a two-month timeline at minimum, but that depends on how he heals. He feels good, but he reluctantly acknowledges that he’s still waiting for the torn muscle to reattach.

Yankees

• When Jasson Domínguez starts rehab, he will be the designated hitter.

Boone offered several key injury updates Tuesday, including the latest on top outfield prospect Jasson Domínguez. The 22-year-old center fielder could start playing in minor-league rehab games within the next two weeks, and when he begins, he’ll likely start as a designated hitter, Boone said.

“He’s been doing all live (batting practice) and all of his defensive stuff,” Boone said. “He’s getting close.”

National League

Cubs

• Cody Bellinger is still experiencing pain.

“I wouldn’t say I’m fully pain-free,” Bellinger said. “But with something like this, it takes quite a bit of time to get fully pain-free. Where it’s at, it’s a matter of pain tolerance. And I feel like I’m in a pretty good spot with it.”

• The General Manager wants a set closer.

“When I think back on some very calm moments in my career, having Jonathan Papelbon and Aroldis Chapman back there is a good feeling,” Hoyer said. “I wouldn’t mind getting back to that where you can sort of pack up your stuff in the ninth inning and not have a lot of anxiety. That’s where we all want to be. There’s not many guys in the game you can say that about. Obviously, our job is to trade for one or to sign one, or to develop one. The teams that have those feel really comfortable.”

• Dansby Swanson’s knee has been bugging him for a bit.

Before Wednesday’s 3-0 loss to the San Diego Padres, manager Craig Counsell said Swanson’s right knee was “bugging him a little bit” and they’d use Thursday’s off day to get him off his feet for a couple of days.

“He hurt it on a slide on the last day game here against Houston,” Counsell said. “Through the road trip and homestand, it’s not improving. So we’re going to try to get him a couple days here and see where we’re at.”

Dodgers

• With Jason Heyward about to come off the IL, the Dodgers are most likely to demote James Outman or release Chris Taylor.

With Pages here to stay, the Dodgers now have a decision to make with James Outman. Last season, it was Outman who burst onto the scene with a hot April (.966 OPS) before cooling off the rest of the season. This year, Outman has really struggled offensively, with a .169 batting average and three homers. On Monday, the Dodgers had Outman hit ninth for the first time all season. To his credit, the 26-year-old responded by hitting a two-run homer and putting together some of the best at-bats in weeks. Still, Outman striking out in more than one-third of his at-bats is concerning.

If not Outman who makes way for Heyward, which would be understandable given his defense in center, the Dodgers could look to give Chris Taylor a blow of sorts. Taylor has been a key part of the Dodgers over the last few seasons, but his struggles at the plate have become impossible to ignore. Taylor is 4-for-54 (.074) this season, striking out 26 times. Taylor, however, is under contract until the end of the ‘25 season, which makes everything more complicated.

Padres

• Joe Musgrove has been dealing with triceps tendonitis for several starts.

Four days after his sharpest start of the season, Joe Musgrove went on the 15-day injured list. The Padres cited right elbow inflammation as the reason. Team officials described the move as precautionary, comparing it to a recent IL stint for Yu Darvish that ended after the minimum 15 days. Musgrove attributed the inflammation to triceps tendonitis, a condition he said he had “worked through for the last couple” starts and at times in previous seasons.

• Adam Mazur and Ryan Bergert are the two prospects the team would call up first according to their GM.

The Padres view starters Adam Mazur and Ryan Bergert as two of their readiest prospects, although they still could be weeks, if not months, from reaching the majors. Another Double-A pitcher, 20-year-old Robby Snelling, might be a bit further away.

“They’re definitely on our radar,” Preller said in an interview Tuesday on 97.3 The Fan. “They’re guys we’re monitoring all the time, both for their development and then also their ability to help and progress, whether it’s at Triple A or the big leagues. … I think they’re on that track, and hopefully we’re having more of that conversation here in the next couple months.”

Pirates

• Oneil Cruz will need to constantly deal with his ankle injury.

“That’s just something that we’re going to have to continue to work through from the foot and the ankle as we’ve talked about. Last year, a little bit this spring with the medical performance teams and most notably Oneil, we’re going to have to continue to work through. He’s ready to go and he’s in the lineup today.”

Although Cruz is healthy enough to play, Tomczyk said finding a way to keep him on the field is a big focus for him and his team.

“We’ve tried and they’ve tried just about everything,” Tomczyk said. “Those braces are really good, but they’re predominately for proprioception. What I optimally want to do is create a solid foundation, and that begins with the foot intrinsics, the ankle and all the way up the kinetic chain. So Oneil, the rehab team, medical team, performance team are always working on daily exercises to make sure everything is activated, first and foremost, and then strong to prepare him for the demands of the game. In short, we’ve tried everything. Sometimes he tapes; sometimes he doesn’t. We prefer, he’d prefer to wear nothing.”

Reds

• Noelvi Marte should return on June 27 and Matt McLain in August.

Noelvi Marte has 46 games remaining on his suspension. The first game he’d be eligible (if there are no more rainouts) to play would be June 27, the team’s first game of a four-game series in St. Louis. He can start a rehab assignment in the minor leagues 15 days before that.

Bell was also optimistic about the possibility McLain could return in August.

Rockies

• Kris Bryant’s back is messed up. He’s on my do-not-draft list for next season based on this quote.

“My disks in my back are pretty much dried up — there are a couple of disks that don’t function like they did 10 years ago,” Bryant said. “My facet joints are a little — not a little — they’re pretty severely arthritic and a lot of bone spurs and stuff like that. That’s part of just getting older … that’s the way the doctor explained it to me and I just have to find a way to manage it as best I can.”

In 2022, Bryant dealt with plantar fasciitis in his left foot after he struggled with the back. Bryant’s problems are on the right side of his lower back.

“Sure there is a connection — left foot, right back,” said Bryant, going as far as his medical knowledge would allow.

American League

Astros

• Ronel Blanco added a changeup.

“Blanco has the repertoire to do this every time he goes out there,” manager Joe Espada said Tuesday. “He added that changeup. He can go deep into games because he throws strikes. He’s efficient. We expect him to continue to provide some good outings for us moving forward.”

The changeup could give him a huge boost. Before the change, he was just a fastball-slider pitcher, but in his no-hitter, he threw his changeup more than any other pitch.

     Pitch: Usage

• Change: 34%
• Slider: 32%
• Four-seamer: 30%

Besides giving him a much-needed third pitch, the changeup seems to be above league average. Read the rest of this entry »

American League

Angels

• I watched this game because Patrick Sandoval was one of the few Opening Day starters who might end up on the waiver wire this season. Most teams were throwing early-round aces. It was a mixed bag for him. On the good side, his fastball velocity was up a tick from 93.1 mph to 94.2 mph. Also, his change-up was on producing a 24% SwStr%.

There was plenty of bad with him allowing 5 R (three earned) in 1.2 IP. The defense behind him, especially Anthony Rendon, was atrocious. The main problem was that he could not throw strikes (40% Zone%, 40% Ball%, 11% equiv BB%).

I’d monitor him to see if the start was a one-off and he finds the strike zone or he’ll struggle to find it again this season. Read the rest of this entry »

• Adam Plutko 플럿코 wants to test the MLB free agent market.

Adam Plutko is a free agent looking to return to MLB after two excellent years in Korea. He was 15-5 with a 2.39 ERA in 2022 and 11-3 with a 2.41 ERA in 2023 (both for LG). Overall 26-8, 2.40 ERA, .596 opponent OPS. Slider spin rate improved from 2,486 to 2,592 with more break

— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) November 15, 2023

In five MLB seasons, he posted a 5.39 ERA and 1.38 WHIP over 273 IP. While his results in Korea were better, his average fastball velocity dropped to 89.3 mph. Read the rest of this entry »

Note: I’m reading through some articles on certain players that were published right before the season ended and I didn’t have time to process them at the time. I know the articles are dated but the info is still useful for next season.

American League

Athletics

• Ken Waldichuk believes he can come back next season with better velocity and control.

Even with my [velocity] being down this past month, I think if I come back with better stuff next year, I think I’ll see some success.”

…

One area Waldichuk will look to improve for next season is limiting walks. Entering Friday, his 4.5 walks per nine innings was fifth-worst in the Majors this season among pitchers with at least 130 innings.

“Being in the zone is the biggest thing,” Waldichuk said of his takeaways from the season. “Know how to attack guys and figure out what they’re looking for based on reading them and knowing what to throw them based off that.”

Read the rest of this entry »

• A great article by the Athletic on a player from each team who took a major step forward this past season. For example, here is a bit on Ryan Jeffers reworking his swing.

Jeffers slashed .210/.285/.390 across his first three seasons and then watched the Twins sign free agent catcher Christian Vázquez to a three-year, $30 million contract. His response? He re-tooled his swing and transformed into one of the best offensive catchers in baseball while playing a part-time role, putting up an .841 OPS in 92 games.

Jeffers always showed some pop in his 6-foot-4 frame. But he’s cut down on his swing and miss while increasing his plate discipline. He’s hitting well against both righties and lefties, but as you might expect, he’s doing big-time damage against left-handed pitching.

I can’t do a cut and paste so read it all.

Read the rest of this entry »

American League

Astros

• Hunter Brown has been trying to clean up his delivery.

David Laurila: We talked pitching two years ago. Outside of being in the big leagues, what has changed since that time?

Hunter Brown: “My stuff and my pitch shapes are similar, but I actually made a bit of a change in my last outing. There’s a difference in my windup, and in the stretch, where my hands are coming set. And my shoulders are already lined up out of the windup. It’s just a little rocker step kind of deal. That’s something we’ve been talking about for a while. We’re trying to clean up some inconsistencies that came with my previous [delivery]. It worked against the Tigers [on August 26], and hopefully it will continue to work.”

Read the rest of this entry »

American League

Athletics

• Kyle Muller made some adjustments while in the minors.

Recalled on Wednesday for what is now his third stint with the A’s this season, Muller returned having worked on a few adjustments in the Minors.

“Getting my delivery in a consistent point,” Muller said after his outing on Friday. “Staying on line. I’ve been working on the changeup a good bit. I threw a couple today that were so-so. I relied more on fastballs and curveballs. But everything is feeling good. I’m just trying to get consistent. Get my best stuff and, hopefully, ride that out for the rest of the season.”

Muller’s fastball velocity was also notable as it maxed out at 97.1 mph on Friday, which is well above his season average of 92.9 mph.

Muller’s #1 issue is his inability to throw strikes (career 4.8 BB/9, 4.6 BB/9 in 2023) and he has barely shown any improvement with a 3.7 BB/9 (41% Ball%, 4.7 equivalent BB/9) since his August promotion.

Orioles

• Tyler Wells, John Means, and DL Hall will all return as relievers.

Wells has been transferred to Triple-A Norfolk, where he’s scheduled to pitch in relief on Wednesday night. The new goal? Bring the righty back to Baltimore to boost the bullpen.

“We’re going to shorten his outings a little bit,” manager Brandon Hyde said. “Have him throw less pitches and less innings and see how that goes, but we’re really encouraged. By giving him some rest, giving him some time off, he’s thrown the ball much better here as of late.”

…

And John Means, who has made three rehab starts amid his recovery from Tommy John surgery and could return by early September — possibly as a reliever rather than a starter.

And maybe DL Hall, the club’s No. 10 prospect per MLB Pipeline who is thriving in a relief role at Triple-A this month (a 2.70 ERA and 15 strikeouts in 6 2/3 innings) and was a valuable addition to the Orioles’ bullpen last September.

Twins

• The team is considering going with a six-man rotation.

One of the primary reasons the Twins are entertaining the idea is protecting several of their pitchers, including Bailey Ober, who received a no-decision after pitching an effective five innings in Tuesday’s contest.

With Ober having completed a career-high 136 1/3 innings (including 17 2/3 innings at Triple A) and Kenta Maeda coming off Tommy John surgery, the Twins could use the six-man rotation to reduce their pitchers’ workloads. Another possibility would be to have Keuchel piggyback Ober, a plan the Twins tried with mixed results early in the 2019 season with Michael Pineda and Martín Pérez.

• Jose Miranda played with a shoulder issue all season.

It’s the same shoulder injury that prevented him from participating in the World Baseball Classic for Team Puerto Rico during Spring Training. And though he made the Opening Day roster and played, he noted that the shoulder bothered him far more than he let on — and although it bothered him primarily while throwing, it’s worth wondering if it affected his hitting more than he thinks, too.

“There was a point during the season that I was going through a lot of pain,” Miranda said. “I was playing through a lot of pain, but I just wanted to keep playing. I was grinding. I don’t know if it was the right thing, but you learn with everything that happens in your life. There were some points where I thought maybe surgery or something could have happened.”

• Ryan Jeffers retooled his swing his offseason.

Disappointed by his own performance, Jeffers spent this offseason retooling his swing mechanics with the help of hitting coach David Popkins. Their goal was to, as Jeffers puts it, “get the slack out of my swing” and eliminate unnecessary movements that slowed his timing and bat path, making him more fluid at the plate and quicker to the ball.

“We have really found something mechanically that works for me,” Jeffers said. “Mechanically, everything is different. You can visually see it when I’m up there. I feel confident with my mechanics, and that leads me to be able to really stick to a good approach. I’m not worried about my mechanics at all, so I can really lock into what I want to do every at-bat and how I want to attack a guy.”

After a lot of tweaks and experimentation, they changed Jeffers’ pre-swing setup, incorporating a “bat tip” timing mechanism to get him moving smoothly. They also toned down his mid-swing leg stride, adding toe-tap and no-stride versions depending on the situation and pitcher. Jeffers’ swing looks noticeably different, before and during, and the results are even harder to miss.

National League

Braves

• The team believes they can “fix” Yonny Chirinos

The Braves think that with good health this offseason and a spring working with their coaches and analytics people, he could return to something closer to his form of 2019-2020, when Chirinos had a 3.73 ERA in 29 games (21 starts) with 124 strikeouts and 32 walks in 144 2/3 innings, before Tommy John surgery and a fractured elbow. He’ll only turn 30 on Dec. 26.

Cardinals

• Dylan Carlson is considering offseason ankle surgery.

Maybe no hard-luck player on the Cardinals roster typifies the kind of frustration-filled, sour season the team has been through than 24-year-old outfielder Dylan Carlson, who sat on the Cardinals’ bench on Saturday nursing not one but two injuries.

To further add to Carlson’s frustration is this nugget of news: He told MLB.com that he might need season-ending ankle surgery in the coming weeks and his next game action could be as far off as Spring Training in 2024.

• Nolan Arenado was dealing with “dead arm” for the season’s first half.

So, what happened? According to Arenado, he experienced “dead arm” in the first half of the season for the first time in his career. The good news for Arenado (and St. Louis)? An extensive strengthening program put in place by the Cardinals’ training staff seems to have helped turn things around.

“I feel like it was the first time I’ve ever had dead arm,” the 32-year-old explained this week. “I don’t know what it was. … (In) the first half, I would do those plays where I throw off my back foot, and (the runner) would beat it out. Last year I would get ‘em out. This year, I’m not. There are little things, those adjustments I’ve had to make, but I feel like in the second half I’ve shown I’m back to being who I am.”

Cubs

• Kyle Hendricks wants to improve his curveball.

Hendricks identified holding runners on base and his curveball as two imperfections he’d like to work on to get his game back to its best level.

“If I can bring all that together, my heater command and my changeup are the best they’ve been in a while,” Hendricks said. “So that’s really what I’m relying on.”

Dodgers

• Tony Gonsolin might need offseason elbow surgery.

The Los Angeles Dodgers, citing right forearm inflammation, finally did what has been discussed often in recent weeks and placed the 29-year-old on the injured list. Gonsolin is “unlikely” to pitch again this season, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Saturday. He very well could require surgery, depending on the results of further testing this week.

…

“I mean, was (Gonsolin’s elbow) pain-free? Probably not,” Roberts said. “But I know as an organization, we were very clear in saying and knowing that you’re not going to hurt yourself worse, and we’re not going to try to do that to the player. So we were all aligned and felt good about that. So I do commend him (for trying to pitch).”

Mets

• Brandon Nimmo is trading away batting average for power.

“Whether it’s on the ground or in the air, put it in play and see what happens,” he said to describe his old outlook. “This is more being a little bit more selective and look to drive the ball rather than just putting it in play.”

“Those situations where you’re trying to cover the whole zone and put something in play — it doesn’t always help,” hitting coach Jeremy Barnes said. “Instead of just trying to go for a knock, you may take that borderline pitch to get to the next pitch.”

In essence, sacrificing some average for some slug?

“Yes,” Nimmo said, “there probably is a tradeoff between power and average.”

Pirates

• Oneil Cruz’s rehab has plateaued…

Oneil Cruz’s rehab has “plateaued,” per director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk. Cruz has stopped his running progression due to left foot general soreness.

Regarding if Cruz can still play this year, Tomczyk said, “It’s tough to tell right now, but we are running out of days.”

— Justice delos Santos (@justdelossantos) August 23, 2023

…as he is still dealing with discomfort.

Oneil Cruz hasn't been running in 7-10 days. Has been experiencing some pain/discomfort. Would need a sizable rehab assignment. It's almost September.

Yeah, shut it down. He's way too important.

— Jason Mackey (@JMackeyPG) August 23, 2023

• Mitch Keller’s cutter velocity is ticking back up.

Keller attributed his success with the cutter to an uptick in the pitch’s velocity. His cutter clocked in at 90.2 mph against the Twins. While that velocity is right in line with his season average of 90.0 mph, Keller’s cutter velocity noticeably dropped midway through the season before creeping back up in recent outings.

In March, April and May, Keller had an average cutter velocity of 90.6 mph. Keller’s cutter velocity fell to 89.3 mph in June, then to 89.0 mph in July. The cutter’s drop in velocity coincided with the pitch’s reduced effectiveness.

Rockies

• Elehuris Montero is trying to clean up his swing.

Hitting coach Hensley Meulens needed to counteract Montero’s tendency to attempt to make contact with breaking pitches too far in front of the plate. Meulens rolled through data from Montero’s stride from his naturally open stance to the angle of his shoulders and everything in between. But he knows that addressing every single flaw (and most appear minor) merely leads to confusion.

“We’re trying to tell him to keep his hat to the point of contact, so he’s not pulling his head,” Meulens said. “For me, we’re asking that through the swing, the chin starts at the front shoulder and ends at the back shoulder.”