Offishial News: Marlins dip below .500 despite Derek Hill's heroics

[Ely Sussman]

Today's news roundup also includes another milestone in Jesús Sánchez's rehab progression.

I was at Citi Field for Tuesday's Marlins loss and it took a couple hours into the game to find a positive takeaway from the Marlins' perspective. That's when Derek Hill took over the sixth inning. A lifetime 47 wRC+ hitter against right-handed pitching, Hill trimmed the deficit with a two-run home run off of soft-contact machine Huascar Brazobán. Then in the bottom half of the frame, he saved three runs with a beautiful diving catch in the left-center gap.

Hill racked up a modest 0.2 fWAR in 2024; he's already at 0.3 fWAR through seven games played in 2025. The brightest red flag with the 29-year-old is that he continues to chase outside the strike zone way too often. Overall, though, his place on the active roster is secure for the foreseeable future, no small feat for somebody who was claimed off waivers eight months ago.

Down on the farm, Triple-A Jacksonville won, 3-0. Double-A Pensacola won, 5-4. High-A Beloit lost, 3-2. Low-A Jupiter lost, 19-5. Kevin Barral's minor league report highlights notable performances from each level.

More Marlins news and content below:

🔷 Sidelined by spring training injuries, Jesús Sánchez (left oblique strain) and Declan Cronin (left hip strain) faced each other in live batting practice on Tuesday. You could see them embark on minor league rehab assignments as soon as this weekend.

🔷 Fish On First's Sean McCormack noticed that Sandy Alcantara has lowered his arm slot compared to previous seasons and explains why that appears to be a good thing.

🔷 Elsewhere around baseball, beloved journeyman reliever Octavio Dotel was one of nearly 100 people who tragically passed away when the roof of a Dominican night club collapsed on Tuesday morning. A pair of veterans coming off excellent seasons, Atlanta Braves right-hander Reynaldo López and Seattle Mariners outfielder Víctor Robles, are staring at extended absences. López in particular (right shoulder arthroscopic surgery) won't even be cleared to resume throwing until July. Happy 28th birthday to Luis Arraez, the all-time Marlins single-season record-holder for batting average. Arraez's start to the 2025 campaign has been perfectly on-brand, slashing .313/.346/.417 with zero strikeouts in 53 plate appearances. He is the only qualified hitter in the majors with a 0.0 K%.

 

🔷 Today's MLB game: the Marlins (probable starter RHP Max Meyer) conclude their series against the New York Mets (RHP Tylor Megill). The Marlins have a 34.7% chance to avoid the sweep, per FanGraphs. First pitch at 1:10 p.m. ET.

🔷 Today's MiLB schedule:

• Triple-A Jacksonville vs. Charlotte, 12:05 p.m. ET
• Double-A Pensacola vs. Montgomery, 7:05 p.m. ET
• High-A Beloit at Cedar Rapids, 7:35 p.m. ET
• Low-A Jupiter vs. Dunedin, 6:30 p.m. ET

 

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