Nearly one month in the season, it is finally happening for the Miami Marlins: 

Something like the version of the team Peter Bendix intended for fans to see is about to take the field. 

That's the biggest takeaway from the return of Esteury Ruiz, not to mention the subtraction of Austin Slater, from the 26-man roster. Keep in mind that Miami actually traded for Ruiz all the way back in December, sending Adriano Marrero to the Dodgers in exchange for the former AL stolen base king. Miami doesn't move any of their assets lightly.

More to the point though, some might forget just what a massive chunk of Marlins offseason upgrades Ruiz represented. By the close of 2025, it was just him and Christopher Morel in terms of offensive additions- the signing of Pete Fairbanks as closer was the only thing making for a merry holiday. Yes, Miami did make their big offensive splash with the Owen Caissie trade not long after the calendar turned. Even so, that's still 33% (check out those math skills) of the offensive improvements for a team that really needed to improve offensively coming from Ruiz. 

Now, is that overstating things slightly? Perhaps. After all, Bendix and the Marlins had plenty riding on a fully healthy Kyle Stowers and a fully present Jakob Marsee to drive Miami's offense to new heights in 2026. Caissie was a Top 50 prospect. Not unfair to hope for a big boost from that, even if it wasn't what most fans wanted to hear. 

Still, it's clear that Ruiz was a major part of the offseason plan. So much so that it was really looking like he might actually beat out fan favorite Griffin Conine for that final roster spot, and not just serve as injury depth. And given how aggressive the Marlins have been on the basepaths so far in 2026? 

It's easy to see how he might very quickly become a secret weapon for the Fish. 

Provided he gets on base in the first place.