José Devers resurfaces with Marlins for first time since 2021

With Vidal Bruján still bothered by a nagging right shoulder injury, the Miami Marlins placed the utilityman on the injured list prior to Saturday's game. José Devers was selected from Triple-A Jacksonville to fill his shoes.

Yes, the wiry infielder who was acquired in 2017's Giancarlo Stanton trade is still around! Devers emerged as one of the organization's top position player prospects in 2019, earning a Florida State League All-Star selection and participating in the Arizona Fall League while still a teenager.

Because COVID canceled the 2020 minor league season and delayed the start of it in 2021, Devers made the highly unconventional jump from High-A to the majors. He debuted for the Fish on April 26, 2021 and had two stints as a part-time player during the first half of that season. How ironic that his career was halted by a right shoulder injury and now another one has opened the door for him to finally make it back up to The Show.

During the interim, durability has continued to be Devers' main issue. He has averaged merely 63 MLB/MiLB regular season games played over the last four seasons. Even when active, he hasn't developed as hoped. Once a plus runner, the 24-year-old seldom steals bases anymore. In 2024, he's hitting balls in the air frequently (36.2 GB%), but not with enough impact for it to matter—his 85.4 mph average exit velocity would rank in the bottom 5% of MLB players and his 1.9 Barrel% is Tim Anderson-esque.

Devers is still a good bet to make contact against both right-handers and left-handers. Defensively, he is best suited for second base, but can also man shortstop or third base when necessary.

The Marlins will need to make a corresponding roster move next week when reinstating shortstop Xavier Edwards from the injured list, so Devers' latest major league stint could be extremely brief. Even if he does manage to stick around throughout September, this is likely to be his final month with the organization. Fellow infielders Deyvison De Los Santos, Jared Serna and Javier Sanoja are simply better players at this point and require 40-man roster spots this offseason to be protected from the Rule 5 Draft.

In the meantime, Devers could become a small part of history. Upon making his 2024 Marlins debut, he'll become the 66th different player used by the Marlins this season. The MLB single-season record of 69 set by the 2021 Chicago Cubs is well within reach.