Casey Mize

Mize was lit up for seven runs and three homers during Friday’s loss, and it seems likely that the ankle didn’t help in that outing. He’ll assuredly miss the Wild Card series against whatever opponent San Diego faces, but there’s a decent chance his 2026 campaign is over.

Mize allowed three homers in the start, and gave up a three-spot in the first inning to eliminate any chance of this becoming a literal/figurative quality start. The 29-year-old has not pitched well — for the most part — since being acquired from the Tigers at the deadline, and there’s no guarantee he’ll be part of the San Diego playoff rotation. Either way, he ends 2026 with a 4.32 ERA and 6-10 record.

Mize’s Padres tenure has been a disaster for his upcoming free agency, with his 24/17 K/BB in 40 2/3 innings standing out as being even more hideous than his 6.64 ERA. He hasn’t actually hurt the Padres, who have gone 6-3 in his starts, but he’s not giving the team any reason to trust him in the postseason. He’ll likely face the D-backs on Friday, but on the off chance that there’s anything still on the line at that point, he’ll by on a very short leash.

Mize got the job done, but it certainly wasn’t in any sort of encouraging fashion. His fastball velocity was down one mph from his season average, and he got a visit from the trainer at one point. He finished the game having allowed eight hits and two walks while striking out none. He recorded two missed swings and finished with a 12 percent CSW. If he hadn’t been facing the Rockies, this probably wouldn’t have gone nearly as well.

Mize surrendered a solo homer to Yohandy Morales in the second inning. That was the only run he had allowed through five solid frames before running into trouble in the sixth. He put two runners on with a double and a walk, then departed with two outs at 90 pitches. Both inherited runners would come in to score. The 29-year-old right-hander will take a 3.70 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, and a 107/29 K/BB ratio across 119 1/3 innings into a start against the Rockies in Colorado on Monday.

That’s now three rough starts in a row for Mize. The right-hander struck out four and walked one in this game, but he had just a 10 percent called strike rate, and the Reds got him for two home runs. His overall velocity was fine, but he lost two inches of vertical movement on his four-seamer and missed way up and out of the strike zone too often. On paper, his next three starts against the Nationals, Rockies, and Marlins are enticing, but it’s hard to be overly excited.

Mize was charged with only two earned runs in this one, but the Rays put seven runs on the board while Mize was on the mound. After getting through the first two innings unscathed, Mize saw a sinker to Yandy Díaz land 382 feet over the right-field stands for a solo homer, putting the Padres down 1-0. The Rays would add to their lead in the fourth inning, as Mize struggled to retire anybody and saw five runs come across to score, although he was only charged with one earned run. Mize would allow one more earned run in the fifth inning before being pulled after 77 pitches, and will see his August come to an end with a 7.00 ERA and a 1.56 WHIP. He’ll look to get back on track in the final month of the season, with his next start coming on Wednesday in Cincinnati against the Reds.

Mize has been given the green light after making it through Wednesday’s bullpen session without any issues. The 29-year-old suffered a sprained right ankle during his last outing against the Twins over the weekend. He’s given up 14 runs over 18 innings across four starts since arriving in San Diego at the trade deadline.

Mize was able to play catch on back-to-back days after suffering a right ankle sprain during Saturday’s start against the Twins. The 29-year-old has been snake-bitten by injuries this season and that bad luck has apparently followed him to San Diego. The positive news is that he appears on track to take the ball against the Rays later this week, depending on how he’s feeling coming out of Wednesday’s bullpen session. There should be a definitive update on his status in the coming days.

Mize, who was making his fourth start with the Padres after coming over from the Tigers at the deadline, was hurt slipping down the dugout steps after the second inning. He ended up being charged with four runs in 2 2/3 innings against the Twins.

Mize was first checked on while warming up for the third and was pulled from the game after giving up balls in play of 106, 107 and 108 mph to the three batters he faced that inning. Fortunately, two of those were outs, but Mize still gave up three runs in 2 2/3 innings. Mize averaged just 90.4 mph with his fastball in the third, putting him three mph below his season average.

Jeremiah Estrada, Adrian Morejon and Yuki Matsui completed the three-hitter. Mize settled for three strikeouts today. Oddly enough, the 22 splitters he threw produced zero whiffs or called strikes. However, they did generate outs all six times they were put into play. Mize improved to 5-7 with a 3.18 ERA overall. He’ll take on another familiar foe when the Twins travel to San Diego next weekend. Both his four wins and his five losses versus the Twins are the most he has against any team.

Mize was effective, but not in an especially encouraging way. He generated just six whiffs, though he did get 21 called strikes for a 33 percent CSW. His velocity, which was well down in his final start for the Tigers before returning to normal on 10 days’ rest last week in his otherwise miserable Padres debut (8 ER in 3 1/3 IP versus Arizona), was back down a little tonight; his fastball was 0.7 mph lower than his season average and his slider was down 1.4 mph. He doesn’t seem like quite as good of a bet now as he did earlier in the season in Detroit, but in a nice situation in San Diego, he’s probably worth sticking with in mixed leagues. He’ll pitch in Cleveland on Sunday.

Well, the good news is that Mize’s velocity decline in his final start as a Tiger didn’t carry over. Pitching on 10 days’ rest, he was right back at his season average of 93.5 mph with his fastball tonight. However, after two scoreless frames, Mize surrendered two runs in the third and six in the fourth. The eight runs and nine hits allowed were both season highs. Three walks also matched his season high; he hadn’t done that since Apr. 22. We imagine he’ll bounce back next week against the Brewers, but this was not the first impression he was looking for.

San Diego manager Craig Stammen added that Robbie Ray will make his debut against the Astros on Friday. Mize was a last-minute addition at the trade deadline after posting a strong 2.70 ERA, 0.99 WHIP and 85/19 K/BB ratio across 86 2/3 innings for the Tigers. He’s been battling some lingering groin issues throughout the year, but he’s ready to roll this week after heading out west.

Mize bolsters a San Diego rotation that has been one of the worst in baseball this season with Detroit continuing their full-scale teardown. The 29-year-old former first-overall pick has put together one of his best seasons, despite battling through lingering groin issues that have impacted his availability and performance, posting a strong 2.70 ERA, 0.99 WHIP and 85/19 K/BB ratio across 86 2/3 innings of work.

San Diego manages to fortify its starting rotation, which has been one of the worst in baseball this season, by landing Mize just ahead of the buzzer at the trade deadline. The 29-year-old has battled through lingering groin issues this season, managing to post a stellar 2.70 ERA, 0.99 WHIP and 85/19 K/BB ratio across 86 2/3 innings of work.

With Tarik Skubal off the board, Mize now stands out as the top rental option remaining on the trade market for team’s looking to upgrade their starting rotation. The Braves and Diamondbacks have already been linked to him, with Heyman noting that the Cubs, Rays, Padres and Yankees could be suitors as well. Expect Mize to be donning a new jersey the next time that he takes the mound.

Mize is not hurt, but with the trade deadline looming, and the right-hander potential being dealt, the Tigers don’t want to risk anything. Of course, we should also note that Mize sat 91.9 mph on his four-seam fastball in his last outing and dipped under 90 mph multiple times. If he were to go out there and do that again on Friday, it would no doubt impact his potential trade market. The Tigers will instead go with Ty Madden to start a bullpen game.

Mize’s fastball velocity was down slightly at the outset of this one, but began trending in the right direction by the third inning as he began hitting the mid-90’s with increased frequency. No matter how you slice the data, Mize clearly didn’t have his best stuff as he continues to battle a lingering groin issue, but he still managed to grind out six frames and put Detroit in position to win. He finished with three strikeouts and didn’t hand out a free pass. The lone tally against him came on a sacrifice fly in the second inning He’ll face the Athletics in a challenging road matchup his next time out on Friday.