Marlins prefer to keep prospects off 40-man roster with MLB lockout approaching

[Ely Sussman]

With the Miami Marlins active roster set to expand in two weeks and a glaring hole already present at first base, here is a factor that I frankly had not been considering, via Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald: 

"If the Marlins do not believe that a prospect can significantly contribute to help them win this year, they’re not going to promote them to the majors simply for a few weeks of September at-bats if they’re not already on the 40-man roster.

"The reason:

"Players who are on the 40-man roster can have no contact with coaches or a team’s medical staff, or use team facilities, after an MLB lockout — which appears inevitable — begins Dec. 1.

Conversely, players who aren’t on the 40-man roster can have that type of contact this winter — including working with coaches — and also can attend minor-league spring training and play in minor-league games next season."

Non-40-man hitters who have performed well for Triple-A Jacksonville this season include Cam Cannarella, Kemp Alderman and recently acquired Jonathon Long. As Fish On First's Isaac Azout discussed during Sunday's livestream, Alderman's promotion to the majors was believed to be "imminent" prior to suffering an elbow injury on May 17. With only a small portion of the 2026 season remaining, it is now a more complicated decision—with less time for him to adjust to MLB competition, he might not provide any positive value down the stretch, and the trade-off is losing direct contact with him for what figures to be a months-long work stoppage.

One correction to Jackson's reporting...He mentions that "the same thinking" applies to right-hander Jace Beck, but he will be selected to the 40-man roster prior to the lockout regardless. The 26-year-old is a pending minor league free agent who is eligible to leave in November if not selected. The Marlins will surely get out in front of that given Beck's 35% strikeout rate this season and intriguing upside.

Here is a refresher on the current composition of Miami's 40-man:

To be clear, most of the Marlins prospects in this predicament already have relationships with reputable third-party training facilities. They will still have access to professional-grade workout equipment and development tools during the 2026-27 offseason. On the other hand, the team does not want to temporarily lose oversight of their medicals and strength and conditioning regimen during the lockout.

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