Offishial news, 8/29/23: New dad Soriano returns; UD Night ticket offer

Monday's Games

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Marlins Podcast Episodes

• There is believed to be mutual interest between the Marlins and pending free agent Jorge Soler, Craig Mish and Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald report, though Soler's agent says there have not been contract extension discussions between them. I find it highly unlikely that he extends without testing free agency. Jazz Chisholm Jr. tells the Herald that "I feel like I’m probably better in the outfield than I am in the infield"—defensive stats from Baseball Savant and FanGraphs agree with him. But Chisholm admits center field is more physically taxing and he sometimes feels the effects of that seep into his plate appearances. Used exclusively in center this season, it's undecided where he'll be positioned in 2024.

• As I posited in Monday's news roundup, George Soriano has been reinstated from the paternity list at the expense of Tommy Nance, who goes down to Triple-A Jacksonville. Nance wasn't used by the Marlins during his four games on the active roster.

• Marlins teammates Josh Bell, Jake Burger and Jonathan Davis were among those in attendance for the Jazz Chisholm Foundation launch party on Monday. General manager Kim Ng made it too, as you can see above. So did manager Skip Schumaker and several members of his coaching staff.

• NL Wild Card race updates: the Giants and Phillies won, while the Cubs, Diamondbacks and Reds lost. The Marlins are 2,5 games back of the third Wild Card spot.

• Elsewhere around the majors, Jose Altuve hit for the cycle against the Red Sox. He recorded the triple and home run against old friend Kyle Barraclough, who allowed 10 earned runs during a nightmare relief appearance. Garrett Cooper had his first three-hit game as a Padre. He's now slashing .327/.400/.469 in 18 games since the trade. Ozzie Albies went 0-for-6 in his return from the injured list, but the Braves still erupted for 14 runs at Coors Field. Tony Gonsolin will undergo Tommy John surgery, sidelining him throughout the 2024 season. Gonsolin's final start came against the Marlins earlier this month (3.1 IP, 8 H, 10 ER, 4 BB, 2 K, 5 HR).

• We’ve got a new episode of Fish On First LIVE streaming tonight at 5:30 p.m. ET on
  /Twitch/Twitter. With chiropractic care and functional health, La Pop takes a preventative approach that optimizes wellness and quality of life for all ages. Find out more here!

• The Marlins have a 53.8% chance to win their series opener against the Rays, per FanGraphs. Triple-A Jacksonville (7:05 p.m. ET), Double-A Pensacola (7:35 p.m. ET), High-A Beloit (7:35 p.m. ET) and Low-A Jupiter (6:30 p.m. ET) are all at home.

• Sandy Alcantara ranks 15th, Eury Pérez ranks 28th, Jesús Luzardo ranks 32nd and Braxton Garrett ranks 92nd on The List of Top 100 starting pitchers for fantasy baseball created by Nick Pollack of Pitcher List.

• LoanDepot Park is hosting UD Night on September 7 to celebrate the career of recently retired Miami Heat player Udonis Haslem. A portion of the proceeds from the game's special ticket package will benefit The Udonis Haslem Foundation.

• On this day 20 years ago, Brian Banks’ walk-off hit capped a Marlins comeback vs. the Expos.

Photo by Jesus Sanchez/Fish On First