Mining the News (8/22/25)

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American League

Astros

• Spencer Arrighetti’s fastball velocity is down 2 mph.

Here is your friendly reminder to follow Lance Brozdowski’s substack. (Editor note: SERIOUSLY, Lance is SOOO good, check out his YouTube, too!)

Astros Spencer Arrighetti has struggled since his return from a fractured right thumb (8.59 ERA, 4.57 xFIP, 10% K-BB). His velocity is down 2 mph, sitting 92.2 mph in these three post-IL starts compared to 94.2 mph last season. He started throwing a sinker to right-handed hitters since returning, perhaps as a way to mitigate the velocity drop.

• The plan is for Yordan Alvarez to join the MLB team this weekend after playing back-to-back games in his rehab.

Astros manager Joe Espada said the plan for Alvarez is to not play Wednesday before appearing in back-to-back games for the Hooks. If all goes well, it appears Alvarez could be activated this weekend while the Astros are in Baltimore.

• Luis Garcia is struggling to regain his velocity.

Meanwhile, Astros starter Luis Garcia made his eighth Minor League rehab start in the game against Frisco and gave up six runs (five earned), seven hits, two walks and two homers and struck out six batters in 4 1/3 innings. There were no publicly available data to show his velocity, which has been an issue in his rehab outings.

His velocity is down compared to previous seasons.

Pitch: 23 Velo, 25 Velo
FF: 92.7, 91.3
FC: 85.4, 81.7
CU: 76.2, 74.1
SL: 78.4, 76.3
CH: 84.4, 83.1

Additionally, he’s losing velocity during the game.

#Astros Luis Garcia start from @SLSpaceCowboys tonight:
4.2IP 1ER 6H 1BB 6K
77 pitches/ 52 strikes
primarily worked 4 seam 92-93 1st 2 innings, 90-91 afterwards
max 94.7 mph (1st inning) low 89.1 mph (5th inning)
cutter was mostly 82-83 early, 80-81 later

run scored on balk.

— Patrick Creighton (@PCreighton1) August 14, 2025

Blue Jays

• José Berríos is trying to regain his velocity.

Sunday’s issue, John Schneider said, was Berríos’ fleeting command with his primary breaking ball. But the 31-year-old starter has also worked with pitching coach Pete Walker on small mechanical adjustments in recent weeks, looking to push his sinker velocity back up to career norms. He’s sat under 93 mph in recent weeks after averaging nearly 94 mph with the pitch across the last few seasons. After Sunday’s start, Berríos said he feels healthy, but his fastball averaged 91.8 against the Rangers.

• Myles Straw reworked his swing.

He’s an elite defender, drops timely sacrifice bunts, rotates in and out of the lineup and found new offensive potential with tweaks to his approach. Straw is one of the many lineup breakouts who have the Jays sitting atop the American League.

Straw’s hitting adjustments live as small-scale versions of the alterations that unlocked George Springer and Addison Barger. All three use the same buzzwords when discussing changes made with Toronto’s trio of hitting coaches: “More athletic in the box” and “intentful swings.”

Orioles

• With Kyle Bradish returning, the team is considering a six-man rotation.

Pitcher Kyle Bradish is nearing the end of his long rehab. Bradish, who had Tommy John surgery in June 2024, will have one more rehab start at Triple-A Norfolk before he returns to the Orioles sometime between August 25th-27th during the Orioles-Red Sox series at Camden Yards.

Bradish’s return will precede by several days the mandated roster expansion on September 1st when the Orioles will add another pitcher and position player.

Interim manager Tony Mansolino said a six-man rotation is a possibility.

“As we get into September, and we get the extra guy, I think it will be an interesting conversation on the six-starter thing,” Mansolino said on Monday before the Orioles started two-game series against the Red Sox. “It’s definitely something we’re discussing, not anything we’re committing to quite yet. There’s probably a pretty good chance that it happens, but we’ll see.”

• Brandon Young threw better because he was more confident …

Young stayed calm and collected as he mowed through Houston’s lineup. He’ll try to replicate that success next time out, which will also be against the Astros (likely on Thursday). And he’ll also draw back on the “really beneficial” conversation with Rogers, if needed.

“I think it just instilled a little bit more confidence in myself and just to trust my stuff a little bit more,” Young said. “He’s just consistent, too. Try and replicate some of the stuff he’s doing, that’s all we’re trying to be, is consistent start to start and year to year.”

… which is a bunch of horse manure. Velocity is the answer. Here is Young’s season when his average fastball average for the game is under or over 94 mph.

FBv: ERA, K%, BB%
> 94 mph: 2.23, 22.5%, 6.3%
< 94 mph: 9.75, 17.8%, 11.0%

The problem is that he’s bouncing right at that line.

Rangers

• The manager wants more consistent production from Josh Jung.

As their season appears to be slipping away, Opening Day third baseman Josh Jung finds himself on the bench. Bochy has left the former All-Star out of the lineup in each of the past three games. He did make a pinch-hit appearance midway through Tuesday’s contest. Young didn’t sugarcoat things when discussing Jung’s recent lack of playing time.

“There’s been a lot of volatility with Josh,” the front office leader said on Monday (link via Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News). “There are times when he’s dialed in and the performance is strong, but when it hasn’t been as dialed in, it’s been a little bit more undisciplined. And just inconsistent. Given the kind of team our team is and the way a lot of guys have struggled this year, you can only tolerate so much volatility.”

Twins

• Alan Roden will need surgery on his thumb.

After landing with the Minnesota Twins at the trade deadline, Alan Roden will miss out on a chance to impress his new club over the final month and a half of the season.

Minnesota placed Roden on the 60-day injured list over the weekend with a sprained ulnar collateral ligament in his left thumb, all but ending his 2025 campaign.

With the time off, however, the 25-year-old outfielder is considering undergoing surgery on his thumb after meeting with a hand specialist on Monday.

“I think surgery is probably the best option, just in terms of the predictable outcomes and timeframe to get me back swinging,” he told The Minnesota Star Tribune’s Bobby Nightengale.

National League

Marlins

• Otto Lopez may move to third base.

Otto Lopez has been struggling badly at the plate since the start of July, and while Lopez remains an excellent defensive shortstop, the Marlins might want to give him a bit more time in the outfield or at third base while seeing what they have in Acosta. MLB.com’s Christina De Nicola reports that Graham Pauley didn’t play today due to side tightness, so if Pauley needs to go on the injured list, that opens up third base for Lopez to share time with Eric Wagaman.

Padres

• The manager doesn’t want an optimized lineup. Don’t expect many changes.

When Iglesias is playing the field — giving another infielder a DH day — that’s reasonable enough. But if the Padres are going to platoon with Iglesias (who hits lefties well), by the numbers, there’s a stronger argument the platoon should be Iglesias/Cronenworth or Iglesias/Arraez. Shildt clearly doesn’t view it that way.

One other point worth monitoring: Last year, amid calls for lineup changes, Shildt stuck with his lineup throughout the Dog Days, wanting daily stability. Then, as the calendar ticked to September, he raised Merrill in the lineup and dropped a slumping Cronenworth. Perhaps, he’d do something similar this year as October approaches.

Phillies

• Aaron Nola hopes his velocity will return.

There are some caveats. It was Nola’s first start back from a three-month layoff and his first time pitching on four days’ rest since the IL stint. Perhaps it is too soon to pass judgment. But Nola on Sunday looked like the Nola of early 2025: pitching with lower velocity, struggling against lefties, unraveling at the seams.

His average velocity on everything cratered at the beginning of the season and was about the same on Sunday. His sinker (90.4 mph) is the lowest it’s ever been. As for the rest of his arsenal, he’s pitched at a similar velocity before — just not for several seasons.

Could more velocity come with time?

“I think so, yeah,” Nola said. “I think the more I’m out there, my velocity will kick up.”

• Nick Castellanos has dealt with a knee issue since late July.

Nick Castellanos has the day off. After starting 236 straight games before his streak was broken in mid-June following a disagreement with Rob Thomson, a knee issue has made him more mindful of his workload.

“He’s had a little bit of a knee problem since Yankee Stadium, so just mindful of that. Although it’s not really bothering him right now … I just want to keep him healthy,” the Phillies’ manager said.