Randy Vásquez is a reliever now

San Diego, California - Randy Vásquez, acquired from the New York Yankees as part of the Juan Soto trade, appears to be becoming the San Diego Padres' versatile asset in their pitching staff. In his debut as a starting pitcher at the age of 24, Vásquez pitched 37.2 innings for New York with a 2.87 ERA. After being traded to the Padres before the 2024 season, he started 20 games, pitching 98 innings with a 4.87 ERA. His command was not strong, as he issued 62 strikeouts and 29 walks.

During the 2025 season, Vásquez pitched 133.2 innings in 28 appearances and 26 starts, improving his ERA to 3.84 with 78 strikeouts and 52 walks. He became known as Strandy Vásquez due to his tendency to walk batters while also excelling at working to get outs with runners on base. Vásquez used seven pitches, relying mostly on his cutter/four-seam combination for 46% of his pitches. His sinker accounted for 19% of his pitches, and his sweeper made up 13%. The curve, changeup, and slider were used less than 15% of the time.

Entering the new season, Vásquez focused on weight training and mental preparation, guided by his mentor/mentee relationship with RHP Yu Darvish. With a sub-4.00 ERA for most of the season and a 2.60 ERA in 45 innings pitched post All-Star break, Vásquez has shown significant growth. He has also reworked his pitch usage, throwing his four-seam 31% of the time and increasing its average to 95 mph, up from 93 mph last year.

The cutter now accounts for 24% of his pitches, the sinker for 16%, and the changeup, curveball, slider, and sweeper are all used less than 10%.

Vásquez's walk rate has improved, with 81 strikeouts and 35 walks over 129 innings pitched. However, his reliever stats for 2026 are not as promising, with a 5.00 ERA over 18 innings in six appearances. The addition of starter Nick Pivetta to the rotation has placed Vásquez in the bullpen, allowing overworked relievers to get some relief.

In his first relief outing back, Vásquez pitched 1.1 innings against the Nationals, allowing a double that scored two runners. Starting pitcher Casey Mize was charged with three earned runs due to that hit. Vásquez is expected to continue in a reliever role, aiming to be a high-value contributor to the team.