PT TOMORROW: NL Central—Is Wandy's rotation spot at risk?

Pittsburgh Pirates

When the season began, Edinson Vólquez (RHP, PIT) looked to be the starter most likely to lose his rotation spot, but he has gotten off to a strong start. In his first 21 innings of work, he allowed just four earned runs, and perhaps more importantly, just four walks. It remains to be seen if he can maintain the Ctl gains, but as long as he keeps pitching well, he'll remain in the rotation.

Instead, Wandy Rodriguez (LHP, PIT) has struggled out of the gate, and his manager is concerned about his velocity being down. His average fastball velocity hasn't topped 90 mph since 2009, but it's down a bit more than usual early on this year. He's allowed six home runs in 16 innings, thanks in part to a 29% hr/f. 

Rodriguez is...

Almost!

You’re just a few clicks away from accessing this feature and hundreds more throughout the year that have a singular goal in mind: Winning your league. Subscribe to BaseballHQ.com here!

Already a subscriber? Sign in here

More From PT Tomorrow

The Braves were hoping to catch a big fish at the deadline but had to settle for a small fry instead. Plus: C in MIA; SP/RP at NYM; INF/OF in PHI; RP in WAS; more.
Aug 12 2026 8:09am
Brendan Donovan has returned, but the offense is lacking, and the Mariners need to mix things up.
Aug 12 2026 3:05am
As he excels in Triple-A, could Franklin Arias be coming to play in the major leagues sooner rather than later? Plus, more trade deadline fallout from around the AL East.
Aug 11 2026 3:05am
This week, we take a look at Lars Nootbaar's new opportunity to find his game in Arizona, meet new faces in San Francisco, and check in on Jordan Beck's second chance in Colorado.
Aug 8 2026 3:05am
Adams is having a solid season at Triple-A and the Brewers could use help at third base.
Aug 7 2026 3:05am

Tools