Mining the News (8/12/26)

Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Note: Any noted rostership rates come from the NFBC RotoWire Online Championship, the same rates we use on the FanGraphs Player Rater. For reference, these leagues are 12-team Roto leagues with 30-man rosters (2 C, 1B, 2B, SS, 3B, MI, CI, 5 OF, UT, 9 P) and weekly add/drops. This rate can be compared to other rostership rates found in this article.

American League

Angels

• Yusei Kikuchi (3% rostered) is about done with his rehab assignment.

LHP Yusei Kikuchi
Injury: Left shoulder inflammation
IL date: May 3 (transferred to 60-day IL on May 22)
Expected return: Mid-August
Status: Made his third rehab start on Aug. 10, allowing four runs over 3 1/3 innings with seven strikeouts. Could rejoin the rotation against the Royals or make one more rehab outing.

Two notes on his rehab. His pitch velocities are in line with those from earlier this season and previous seasons. Second, he has struggled in his rehab with a 15.75 ERA and 2.63 WHIP (6.8 BB/9).

Astros

• Bryan Abreu turned his season around once he started throwing a cutter.

Abreu threw his first cutter in a June 2 outing against the Pittsburgh Pirates. In 23 appearances since, Abreu is throwing 63.6 percent of his pitches for strikes. He’s walked just eight batters across those 23 2/3 innings, during which Abreu’s four-seam fastball velocity has inched upward. He averaged 96.1 mph in both July and August.

After touching 99.1 mph in an outing this weekend against the San Diego Padres, Abreu gave a wide smile before saying, “It’s about time.”

Before adding the cutter, he posted a 6.87 ERA (6.07 xFIP), 2.02 WHIP (10.8 BB/9), and 11.3 K/9. Since adding the cutter, he has a 2.28 ERA (2.74 xFIP), 0.93 WHIP (3.0 BB/9), and 12.2 K/9.

Blue Jays

• Before going on the IL with elbow issues, Jameson Taillon was trying to throw harder.

The 34-year-old, pausing the worst season of his MLB career, returned to his offseason workout facility, Tread Athletics. He worked on engaging his core and gaining momentum down the mound to increase velocity. He toyed with throwing his cutter harder, a pitch that has an expected slugging percentage of .801 against this year. He’s mixed in a gyro slider for a new weapon against lefties, too.

…

It’s hard to say exactly how much changed after three days of drills and one start with the Jays. Taillon’s four-seam fastball velocity was up 0.7 miles per hour. His 16 harder cutters earned four whiffs on seven swings and resulted in one hard-hit ball. The gyro slider, Taillon said, wasn’t great, and his command was sporadic after 10 days without starting. He allowed three earned runs across four innings.

Oops … maybe too hard.

Orioles

• Chris Bassitt (4% rostered) is about to come off the IL.

RHP Chris Bassitt
Injury: Lower back tightness
IL date: June 8, retroactive to June 5 (transferred to 60-day IL on July 17)
Expected return: Week of Aug. 10
Status: Made third rehab start for Triple-A Norfolk on Aug. 7, tossing six scoreless innings with three hits allowed, two walks and five strikeouts. Should be final step before returning.

I’m not sure Bassitt will be anything more than a streamer when he returns. Over the last three seasons, he’s been a low-4.00 ERA talent (4.23 ERA, 4.19 xFIP, 4.27 botERA). And he’s struggling a bit in his rehab with his average fastball velocity down to a career-low 90.5 mph.

Royals

• Maikel Garcia and Vinnie Pasquantino (both 68% rostered) started their rehab assignment.

3B Maikel Garcia
Injury: Left hand muscle strain
IL date: June 23 (10-day)
Expected return: August
Status: After cortisone injection, began hitting again Aug. 7 and will resume his rehab assignment on Aug. 12.
…
1B Vinnie Pasquantino
Injury: Right wrist soreness
IL date: July 29 (10-day)
Expected return: Mid-to-late August
Status: Took full batting practice Aug. 3 and will begin his rehab assignment with Triple-A Omaha on Aug. 11.

Twins

• Zebby Matthews will manage a foot blister.

RHP Zebby Matthews
Injury: Right foot blister
Expected return: TBD
Status: Exited his recent start before the sixth inning on Aug. 7 after blister on his right foot opened up a couple of innings before. Will look to manage the pain over the next couple of weeks given state of the rotation.

There is no reason to be rostering Matthews at this point.

National League

Braves

• Austin Riley has been working on his setup at the plate.

Since July 31, your bat is coming back to life. You are 10-for-30 (.333) with two homers and seven RBIs. What has been working for you at the plate?

Austin Riley: I’m getting into my lower half a little bit better. I’ve raised my hands a little bit. I wasn’t using my back hip the right way. Now, I’ve found [ways] to fix that problem.

Diamondbacks

• Jordan Lawlar (62% rostered) started his rehab assignment.

OF Jordan Lawlar
Injury: Right hamstring strain
IL date: June 20 (10-day IL)
Expected return: Mid-August
Status: Played center field for Double-A Amarillo on Aug. 7 and Aug. 8 before serving as the designated hitter on Aug. 9. Rehab will continue with Sod Poodles on Aug. 11 and 12 and then he’ll be reevaluated.

I’m surprised by the demand for a career .586 OPS batter. He is showing no improvement in his rehab with a 66% Contact% and 33% K%.

Dodgers

• The manager thinks Dalton Rushing is done for the season (46% rostered, 30% Started).

Manager Dave Roberts said last week there is a “very small” chance that Rushing catches again this season, though much of the Dodgers’ evaluation will depend on the results of scans after Rushing goes four to six weeks without throwing.

“I hope I’m wrong,” Roberts said at the time after downplaying the odds.

A drop in all formats.

Giants

• Victor Bericoto (0% rostered) is off the IL.

OF Victor Bericoto
Injury: Left oblique strain
IL date: July 10 (10-day IL)
Expected return: August
Status: Began a rehab assignment with Triple-A Sacramento on Aug. 5, going 1-for-14 (.071) over his first four games.

Before going on the IL, he was batting .293/.305/.552 with 4 HR in 30 PA. In the eight games before going on the IL, he started in six. In his return, he hit fifth with 3 K.

Marlins

• Agustín Ramírez (48% rostered, 38% started) will get some first base reps.

President of baseball operations Peter Bendix revealed on Tuesday that the Marlins plan on practicing Ramírez, whom Miami optioned to the Minors on May 4 (the same day rookie Joe Mack received his big league callup), at first base to go along with catching and designated hitter duties — similar to the role Hicks played.

In seven games since being promoted, he start in two. He’s unrosterable until he regularly starts.

Nationals

• DJ Herz is progressing through his rehab.

LHP DJ Herz
Injury: Left UCL sprain
IL date: Feb. 11 (60-day IL)
Expected return: September
Status: Progressed to rehab assignment and threw one inning with Single-A Fredericksburg on Aug. 8. His next step will be at Double-A Harrisburg.

Through four rehab starts (8.2 IP), he has a 1.04 ERA (2.07 xFIP), 0.81 WHIP (1.0 BB/9), and 14.5 K/9.

Padres

• Joe Musgrove (5% rostered) is about to return from the IL.

RHP Joe Musgrove
Injury: Tommy John surgery
IL date: March 25 (transferred to 60-day IL on May 7)
Expected return: Late August or September
Status: Underwent surgery in October 2024. Reported feeling great after second rehab start with Triple-A El Paso on Aug. 9. Expects to make one or two more rehab starts before returning.

While he’s not getting many strikeouts in his rehab assignment (7.5 K/9), his fastball velocity is up at 94.7 mph, or just under 2 mph compared to last season.

Phillies

• Andrew Painter (44% rostered) made several adjustments in the minors.

It was perhaps his best outing of 17 in the major leagues — the command pinpoint, his stuff strong and Cardinals batters hopeless through five innings. It seems that after three starts back in the majors, Painter has found something. The tweaks across his six weeks in Triple A — ditching the splitter, adjusting his delivery, dialing in on his fastball — seem like legitimate difference makers. It is hard to speak definitively about just over 15 innings, but Painter looks much more like the pitcher who was promised.

While walks (4.1 BB/9) remain a problem since returning, his overall game has improved, with his xFIP down from 4.82 to 3.75 (39% GB% to 48% GB%).

• Bryce Harper has been dealing with knee soreness since July 11th.

Mattingly revealed that Harper, who moved from first base to the outfield, is dealing with some general soreness that includes some knee soreness. Harper has played in all 119 of the team’s games and would like to play in all 162.

“Harp’s a little sore,” Mattingly said. “We’re taking care of his body so we figured we had to do that today. General soreness. Some knee soreness. Different things that have kind of been there. We figured him getting out (in right field) was going to push things. We’ll stay on top of it. We talked. We’re not going to run him into the ground.”

Mattingly said Harper has dealt with some knee soreness since fouling a ball off his leg before the All-Star break.

The injury has affected him that much. Before the injury, he had a .869 OPS with 20 HR and 5 SB in 403 PA. Since then, he has a .850 OPS with 5 HR and 2 SB in 111 PA.