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Kevin Barral

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Kevin Barral last won the day on August 26

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  • Birthday 01/11/2005

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  1. MIAMI, FL - Sandy Alcantara, known for being the stopper of the Miami Marlins rotation and resetting the bullpen, wasn't up for the task on Tuesday night against the New York Mets. On the strength of three home runs, Alcantara allowed the Mets to take a commanding 7-0 lead. The Marlins fought hard to dig themselves out of that hole, but ultimately fell by a final score of 7-5. Alcantara struggled from the very first pitch of the game, serving up a leadoff homer to Francisco Lindor. Juan Soto and Brett Baty later went deep as well. Alcantara went 4 1/3 innings, allowing seven runs on seven hits (three home runs), walked four and struck out one. "I feel very bad about the job that I did tonight," Alcantara said postgame. "Knowing the the position that we are right now, losing is devastating for us. Just gotta get hot and keep things together and just be out there and fight." On the other side, Mets starting pitcher Sean Manaea tossed five perfect innings. In the sixth inning, the Marlins finally broke through and scored four runs of Manaea. Jakob Marsee, who led the inning off, hit a double. Jared Serna recorded his second career RBI, bringing Marsee home from second and making it a 7-1 game. An unlikely source of offense in Brian Navarreto drove Serna home with a single. An Otto Lopez and Javier Sanoja RBI single made it 7-4. "Very proud of the group," Marlins manager Clayton McCullough said. "Not the start of the game that we were hoping for to get down, but climb out and make things really interesting and even those last couple innings to create some traffic and have a chance there. We hung in there and probably got behind the eight ball a little bit too much, not able to to overcome it." On the bright side, Jakob Marsee had a three-hit day, his fifth of that kind this season. He drove a run in the bottom of the ninth inning to make it 7-5. Jared Serna, who was recently called up, collected his first multi-hit game of his career. "Jared put together really aggressive swings tonight, and good for him," McCullough said. "He got an opportunity to go play and had a nice game." With the loss and another Arizona Diamondbacks win, the Marlins dropped to six games out of the final NL Wild Card spot with only 16 games left on their schedule. The Marlins will look to avoid the sweep on Wednesday with Janson Junk taking the mound.
  2. MIAMI, FL - Sandy Alcantara, known for being the stopper of the Miami Marlins rotation and resetting the bullpen, wasn't up for the task on Tuesday night against the New York Mets. On the strength of three home runs, Alcantara allowed the Mets to take a commanding 7-0 lead. The Marlins fought hard to dig themselves out of that hole, but ultimately fell by a final score of 7-5. Alcantara struggled from the very first pitch of the game, serving up a leadoff homer to Francisco Lindor. Juan Soto and Brett Baty later went deep as well. Alcantara went 4 1/3 innings, allowing seven runs on seven hits (three home runs), walked four and struck out one. "I feel very bad about the job that I did tonight," Alcantara said postgame. "Knowing the the position that we are right now, losing is devastating for us. Just gotta get hot and keep things together and just be out there and fight." On the other side, Mets starting pitcher Sean Manaea tossed five perfect innings. In the sixth inning, the Marlins finally broke through and scored four runs of Manaea. Jakob Marsee, who led the inning off, hit a double. Jared Serna recorded his second career RBI, bringing Marsee home from second and making it a 7-1 game. An unlikely source of offense in Brian Navarreto drove Serna home with a single. An Otto Lopez and Javier Sanoja RBI single made it 7-4. "Very proud of the group," Marlins manager Clayton McCullough said. "Not the start of the game that we were hoping for to get down, but climb out and make things really interesting and even those last couple innings to create some traffic and have a chance there. We hung in there and probably got behind the eight ball a little bit too much, not able to to overcome it." On the bright side, Jakob Marsee had a three-hit day, his fifth of that kind this season. He drove a run in the bottom of the ninth inning to make it 7-5. Jared Serna, who was recently called up, collected his first multi-hit game of his career. "Jared put together really aggressive swings tonight, and good for him," McCullough said. "He got an opportunity to go play and had a nice game." With the loss and another Arizona Diamondbacks win, the Marlins dropped to six games out of the final NL Wild Card spot with only 16 games left on their schedule. The Marlins will look to avoid the sweep on Wednesday with Janson Junk taking the mound. View full article
  3. On Thursday, the Miami Marlins announced that they have designated infielder Leo Jiménez for assignment. Deyvison De Los Santos is being recalled from Triple-A Jacksonville as the corresponding move. The Marlins acquired Jiménez from the Toronto Blue Jays at the beginning of the MLB regular season in exchange for minor leaguer Dub Gleed. In 66 games with the big league team, Jiménez slashed .199/.306/.259/.565 with two home runs, 14 RBI and posted a 65 wRC+. His playing time mainly came against left-handed pitching. Defensively, he posted minus-7 outs above average and minus-5 defensive runs saved at third base. His poor play on both sides of the ball was valued at -0.9 fWAR overall (worst among Marlins hitters). Jiménez will now go through the waiver process. If he clears, the Marlins can outright him to Triple-A. He would then be eligible for minor league free agency after the season if not selected back to the 40-man roster. Dub Gleed, a corner infielder drafted by the Marlins in 2024, has played at the High-A and Double-A levels with the Blue Jays organization. He's had a productive year, slashing .275/.358/.478/.838 with 18 home runs, 54 RBI and a 120 wRC+. This begins Deyvison De Los Santos' fourth MLB stint of the season. The 23-year-old will be platooned like Jiménez was, getting most of his plate appearances against lefties. He's expected to be with the team through their final 22 games.
  4. On Thursday, the Miami Marlins announced that they have designated infielder Leo Jiménez for assignment. Deyvison De Los Santos is being recalled from Triple-A Jacksonville as the corresponding move. The Marlins acquired Jiménez from the Toronto Blue Jays at the beginning of the MLB regular season in exchange for minor leaguer Dub Gleed. In 66 games with the big league team, Jiménez slashed .199/.306/.259/.565 with two home runs, 14 RBI and posted a 65 wRC+. His playing time mainly came against left-handed pitching. Defensively, he posted minus-7 outs above average and minus-5 defensive runs saved at third base. His poor play on both sides of the ball was valued at -0.9 fWAR overall (worst among Marlins hitters). Jiménez will now go through the waiver process. If he clears, the Marlins can outright him to Triple-A. He would then be eligible for minor league free agency after the season if not selected back to the 40-man roster. Dub Gleed, a corner infielder drafted by the Marlins in 2024, has played at the High-A and Double-A levels with the Blue Jays organization. He's had a productive year, slashing .275/.358/.478/.838 with 18 home runs, 54 RBI and a 120 wRC+. This begins Deyvison De Los Santos' fourth MLB stint of the season. The 23-year-old will be platooned like Jiménez was, getting most of his plate appearances against lefties. He's expected to be with the team through their final 22 games. View full article
  5. MIAMI, FL - Heavy recent usage of their bullpen forced the Miami Marlins to get creative on Wednesday night. The unlikely combination of Ryan Gusto, Victor Vodnik, Janson Junk and Dax Fulton held the Boston Red Sox scoreless to salvage the series finale. Gusto threw 5 ⅔ shutout innings, allowing four hits, three walks and struck out two. He lowered his ERA to 1.85 in the month of August, and on the season, he now has a 3.98 ERA. His 77.8% ground ball rate on the night was the highest of his season. During this August stretch, he's only had one outing where he's allowed more than three runs, which came in a win against the Philadelphia Phillies. Just over a year after the trade that sent him to Miami from the Houston Astros, Gusto describes himself as a "different pitcher than the one I was traded for originally." "I think that development isn't linear and it's a good time to look back on that and acknowledge that," Gusto said postgame. "The coaching staff believed in me the whole way and kept working with me on the things that we needed to work on, and I'm really happy with the trend that we've been seeing." One of Gusto's year-to-year improvements has been his fastball velocity. His fastball previously averaged 94.1 mph, but on Wednesday, he averaged 95.3 mph and topped out at 97.4 mph. He threw 12 pitches of 95 mph or more in his start. "Ryan deserves a lot of credit," Marlins manager Clayton McCullough said. "The velocity being where it's at so consistently certainly helped, but he's put a lot of work in the weight room as well. He comes over last year and is acclimating to new organization, we're asking a lot of him, and it's taken Ryan some time to really buy in, but I think Ryan has seen how a lot of these adjustments and the hard work he's putting in is paying off. Ryan has taken some real steps professionally, personally, that I think now we're seeing the fruits of." One of the few Marlins relievers who was available, Vodnik entered with two outs in the sixth inning. He struck out Anthony Seigler to complete the sixth. In the seventh, he induced three straight groundouts. Vodnik hasn't allowed an earned run in any of his last six appearances. Already scheduled to throw his pitch design on Wednesday, the Marlins asked Janson Junk the night before how he felt about pitching an inning out of the bullpen to fill in for his overworked teammates. After going through a pregame routine, Junk felt good enough to pitch. This marked the first time since June 14 of last season that he entered a game as a relief pitcher. In his lone inning of work, Wilyer Abreu flew out, Caleb Durbin grounded out and Mickey Gasper lined out. "The biggest thing for me was just the routine," Junk said. "It's been a while since I came out of the pen, so just figuring out what my role was for the day. Luckily enough, they were very clear on what that was, so that eased some of the nerves. They told me the little pocket that I was going to be in and from there, it was understood what it was when I was getting warmed up in the bullpen." With the Marlins leading 2-0, Dax Fulton, who was recalled from Triple-A Jacksonville one day before the game, was warming up to pitch in the ninth inning for what would be his first career save. For the Marlins, they tacked on two runs in the ninth inning, so Fulton entered the game with a 4-0 lead. After allowing a lead-off base hit, Fulton struck one out and induced two groundouts to end the game. The Marlins 4-0 win marked the 13th shutout win of the 2026 season, which is also the team's most since 2014, when they had 16 shutouts. The Marlins are now 68-66, which puts them four games out of the third National League Wild Card spot. The Marlins will spend an off day in Washington before kicking off a four-game wraparound series with Eury Pérez taking the mound in the first game on Friday.
  6. MIAMI, FL - Heavy recent usage of their bullpen forced the Miami Marlins to get creative on Wednesday night. The unlikely combination of Ryan Gusto, Victor Vodnik, Janson Junk and Dax Fulton held the Boston Red Sox scoreless to salvage the series finale. Gusto threw 5 ⅔ shutout innings, allowing four hits, three walks and struck out two. He lowered his ERA to 1.85 in the month of August, and on the season, he now has a 3.98 ERA. His 77.8% ground ball rate on the night was the highest of his season. During this August stretch, he's only had one outing where he's allowed more than three runs, which came in a win against the Philadelphia Phillies. Just over a year after the trade that sent him to Miami from the Houston Astros, Gusto describes himself as a "different pitcher than the one I was traded for originally." "I think that development isn't linear and it's a good time to look back on that and acknowledge that," Gusto said postgame. "The coaching staff believed in me the whole way and kept working with me on the things that we needed to work on, and I'm really happy with the trend that we've been seeing." One of Gusto's year-to-year improvements has been his fastball velocity. His fastball previously averaged 94.1 mph, but on Wednesday, he averaged 95.3 mph and topped out at 97.4 mph. He threw 12 pitches of 95 mph or more in his start. "Ryan deserves a lot of credit," Marlins manager Clayton McCullough said. "The velocity being where it's at so consistently certainly helped, but he's put a lot of work in the weight room as well. He comes over last year and is acclimating to new organization, we're asking a lot of him, and it's taken Ryan some time to really buy in, but I think Ryan has seen how a lot of these adjustments and the hard work he's putting in is paying off. Ryan has taken some real steps professionally, personally, that I think now we're seeing the fruits of." One of the few Marlins relievers who was available, Vodnik entered with two outs in the sixth inning. He struck out Anthony Seigler to complete the sixth. In the seventh, he induced three straight groundouts. Vodnik hasn't allowed an earned run in any of his last six appearances. Already scheduled to throw his pitch design on Wednesday, the Marlins asked Janson Junk the night before how he felt about pitching an inning out of the bullpen to fill in for his overworked teammates. After going through a pregame routine, Junk felt good enough to pitch. This marked the first time since June 14 of last season that he entered a game as a relief pitcher. In his lone inning of work, Wilyer Abreu flew out, Caleb Durbin grounded out and Mickey Gasper lined out. "The biggest thing for me was just the routine," Junk said. "It's been a while since I came out of the pen, so just figuring out what my role was for the day. Luckily enough, they were very clear on what that was, so that eased some of the nerves. They told me the little pocket that I was going to be in and from there, it was understood what it was when I was getting warmed up in the bullpen." With the Marlins leading 2-0, Dax Fulton, who was recalled from Triple-A Jacksonville one day before the game, was warming up to pitch in the ninth inning for what would be his first career save. For the Marlins, they tacked on two runs in the ninth inning, so Fulton entered the game with a 4-0 lead. After allowing a lead-off base hit, Fulton struck one out and induced two groundouts to end the game. The Marlins 4-0 win marked the 13th shutout win of the 2026 season, which is also the team's most since 2014, when they had 16 shutouts. The Marlins are now 68-66, which puts them four games out of the third National League Wild Card spot. The Marlins will spend an off day in Washington before kicking off a four-game wraparound series with Eury Pérez taking the mound in the first game on Friday. View full article
  7. For the 2026 season, Fish On First will provide weekly reports on the Miami Marlins farm system, covering all levels. Multiple national outlets have six Marlins on their updated MLB Top 100 prospects lists, but as usual, we also shine the light on lesser-known players in the organization who could eventually have significant roles with the big league club. This report covers the games played from August 18-24. Triple-A Jacksonville It was a 4-2 week for the Jumbo Shrimp against the Memphis Red Birds (St. Louis Cardinals affiliate). In the series finale against the Red Birds, Jonathon Long hit his first home run since being acquired by the Marlins. The ball left the bat at 109.4 mph and went 447 feet to left field. It was his 13th home run of the season overall. He is now slashing .244/.452/.378/.830 as a member of the org. It has been a strong year for Kemp Alderman, who hit his 18th home run last week. However, his development is not quite finished as he continues to have issues making contact. In August, Alderman has been striking out nearly 40% of the time. He could still be a potential September call-up option, but the elevated K rate combined with the effects of the impending MLB lockout complicate the decision. Keeping him off the 40-man roster would keep the line of communication with Marlins coaches open during the lockout and ensure he is eligible to participate in a full spring training and minor league season in 2027. Brandan Bidois, acquired in the Lake Bachar trade, made his organizational debut this past week. Bidois couldn't get out of the seventh inning, though he struck out three of the five batters he faced. Bidois' fastball averaged 95.5 mph and topped out at 96.5 mph. He also threw his slider and changeup. A pleasant surprise during the first half of the season, infielder Gage Miller is coming back down to earth. He has only two hits in his last 28 at-bats. Even so, he's been performing nicely overall with a .272/.391/.465/.856 slash line and 131 wRC+ through 69 games. Double-A Pensacola The Wahoos put a throw-away game at the start of their series against Knoxville behind them, responding with four straight victories. With contributions from all over their lineup, the team looks primed for the Southern League playoffs. They are currently five and a half games ahead of the Columbus Clingstones for the second-half division SOU South title. What more can we say about Brandon Compton? The guy just hits. In this series, the lefty went 7-for-19 with two more home runs. He is the first Marlins prospect to hit 30+ home runs in a minor league season since 2021. Compton is riding a 14-game hit streak and putting together one of the more impressive MiLB seasons we’ve been privileged to witness in quite some time. If there’s been one downside at all to Compton’s season, it has been the fact that virtually all of his damage has been done against opposite-handed pitching. During an exclusive Fish Unfiltered interview, Compton explained how he is working to solve for that behind the scenes, including hitting BP off Mason Sherrill, a former left-handed pitching prospect. Compton made his pro debut as a first baseman on Sunday. He stated in our interview that he is open to becoming more versatile despite not having played the position since his days in wood bat summer leagues. If things go well for Compton at first base, MLB opportunities could come in pretty short order, with that being a position where they've lacked stability. At the very least, Compton has already earned himself an MLB camp invite in 2027. Fish On First has learned that right-hander Holt Jones is being promoted from Pensacola to Jacksonville. A 27-year-old reliever, Jones' season was not noteworthy until about a month ago. He's been nearly flawless since then, particularly dominant against right-handed batters. Drafted by the Fish way back in 2021 out of the University of Kentucky, Jones' arsenal is comprised of a four-seam fastball, slider and cutter. He uses his extra-large 6'7" frame to get good extension down the mound. His mid-90s heater plays up as a result. Expect Jones to continue to be used in a multi-inning relief role with the Shrimp. High-A Beloit Beloit inched closer to a playoff spot this week, winning five very meaningful games against the Cedar Rapids Kernals. Pitching was the star of the show: the Carp staff limited their opponents to just 16 runs total over 54 innings. Beloit now sits in a tie with Quad Cities atop the Midwest League West division in the second half. To say Cody Schrier has had an up-and-down season would be putting it lightly. After struggling with offensive consistency in the first half, the 23-year-old first baseman was placed on the development list. Since returning, Schrier has found a new side and improved version of himself. In the first half, he slashed just .198/.338/.371. In the second half, .318/.370/.618. That includes a 9-for-23 performance in this week’s series. Schrier was one of the most advanced high school bats in his class, ranking as the second-best prep shortstop in California. He played in parts of three collegiate seasons at UCLA and showed flashes, but missed most of 2023 due to injury and his production cratered in 2024. The Marlins challenged him quickly in his pro career, sending Schrier to Beloit last year despite spending just 47 games at Low-A in which he slashed .237/.295/.335. Underlying stats overall this year for Schrier are solid; he’s right around league average in terms of walks and just above league average in limiting strikeouts. The swing isn’t bad at all, either. With a good pedigree and solid tools, it could be that Schrier just needed proper time to develop while under less stress. Schrier could turn into a steal as a 13th-round pick who has defensive versatility at multiple positions, though we will need to see a bit more of a sample size to make that determination. Nate Payne had been on a good trajectory in each of his previous two outings, limiting damage and showing swing-and-miss stuff. The only thing not there for Payne was the innings as he lasted just a combined 8 ⅔ frames. Payne solved for that by being more economical with his pitches and limiting walks as he completed six innings for the first time since June 26. He allowed one run and struck out eight. Payne’s overall numbers are above average on the year. He has a 3.58 ERA in 100.2 IP. His recent limitation had been in working too deep into counts and elevating his pitch count early in games. Having to come further into the zone in longer at-bats had also allowed opposing hitters to get the better of him. His BAA in July was .265. In these last three starts, though, Payne has been able to work ahead earlier in at-bats and mix more to his liking, leading to a much more efficient .224 BAA in his last 14.2 IP. Payne doesn’t have blow-it-by-you velocity; when he's at his best, he’s a strike-thrower who is able to limit contact early in counts, induce ground balls and utilize two very good breakers to get whiffs. The command is still the biggest question mark for Payne, but when it is on, he has the potential of a mid-rotation starter. At the very least, he could be a viable multiple-inning reliever at the next level. Low-A Jupiter It was a 2-3 week for the Hammerheads against the Bradenton Marauders. Eric Guevera recently made his pro debut and in eight games, he has slashed .292/.414/.542/.955 with two home runs, six RBI and a 151 wRC+. The Marlins selected Guevera in the seventh round of the 2026 MLB Draft. Struggles for PJ Morlando continue. In 82 games, he is slashing .199/.325/.318/.643 with eight home runs, 33 RBI and a 79 wRC+. After a month of July where he had a .779 OPS, the best mark for him in the minors, August has seen his numbers dip back down to the season norm, a .660 OPS. It's tough to deny at this point that the Marlins regret making him a first-round pick. After struggling in July, Luis Arana is back to looking like himself. In 15 games this month, he is slashing .283/.377/.415/.792 with one home run and three RBI. On the season, he also has 37 stolen bases with a 109 wRC+ between the FCL and Low-A levels. Jacob Lombard is slashing .241/.382/.407/.790 with three home runs, 12 RBI and a 116 wRC+. The only concern is the 36.8% strikeout rate, but is walking 14.7% of the time. Lombard continues to look comfortable at the plate and defensively, he looks like a serious candidate to stick at shortstop. This week's schedule Triple-A Jacksonville vs. Nashville Double-A Pensacola at Montgomery High-A Beloit at Quad Cities Low-A Jupiter vs. Tampa View full article
  8. For the 2026 season, Fish On First will provide weekly reports on the Miami Marlins farm system, covering all levels. Multiple national outlets have six Marlins on their updated MLB Top 100 prospects lists, but as usual, we also shine the light on lesser-known players in the organization who could eventually have significant roles with the big league club. This report covers the games played from August 18-24. Triple-A Jacksonville It was a 4-2 week for the Jumbo Shrimp against the Memphis Red Birds (St. Louis Cardinals affiliate). In the series finale against the Red Birds, Jonathon Long hit his first home run since being acquired by the Marlins. The ball left the bat at 109.4 mph and went 447 feet to left field. It was his 13th home run of the season overall. He is now slashing .244/.452/.378/.830 as a member of the org. It has been a strong year for Kemp Alderman, who hit his 18th home run last week. However, his development is not quite finished as he continues to have issues making contact. In August, Alderman has been striking out nearly 40% of the time. He could still be a potential September call-up option, but the elevated K rate combined with the effects of the impending MLB lockout complicate the decision. Keeping him off the 40-man roster would keep the line of communication with Marlins coaches open during the lockout and ensure he is eligible to participate in a full spring training and minor league season in 2027. Brandan Bidois, acquired in the Lake Bachar trade, made his organizational debut this past week. Bidois couldn't get out of the seventh inning, though he struck out three of the five batters he faced. Bidois' fastball averaged 95.5 mph and topped out at 96.5 mph. He also threw his slider and changeup. A pleasant surprise during the first half of the season, infielder Gage Miller is coming back down to earth. He has only two hits in his last 28 at-bats. Even so, he's been performing nicely overall with a .272/.391/.465/.856 slash line and 131 wRC+ through 69 games. Double-A Pensacola The Wahoos put a throw-away game at the start of their series against Knoxville behind them, responding with four straight victories. With contributions from all over their lineup, the team looks primed for the Southern League playoffs. They are currently five and a half games ahead of the Columbus Clingstones for the second-half division SOU South title. What more can we say about Brandon Compton? The guy just hits. In this series, the lefty went 7-for-19 with two more home runs. He is the first Marlins prospect to hit 30+ home runs in a minor league season since 2021. Compton is riding a 14-game hit streak and putting together one of the more impressive MiLB seasons we’ve been privileged to witness in quite some time. If there’s been one downside at all to Compton’s season, it has been the fact that virtually all of his damage has been done against opposite-handed pitching. During an exclusive Fish Unfiltered interview, Compton explained how he is working to solve for that behind the scenes, including hitting BP off Mason Sherrill, a former left-handed pitching prospect. Compton made his pro debut as a first baseman on Sunday. He stated in our interview that he is open to becoming more versatile despite not having played the position since his days in wood bat summer leagues. If things go well for Compton at first base, MLB opportunities could come in pretty short order, with that being a position where they've lacked stability. At the very least, Compton has already earned himself an MLB camp invite in 2027. Fish On First has learned that right-hander Holt Jones is being promoted from Pensacola to Jacksonville. A 27-year-old reliever, Jones' season was not noteworthy until about a month ago. He's been nearly flawless since then, particularly dominant against right-handed batters. Drafted by the Fish way back in 2021 out of the University of Kentucky, Jones' arsenal is comprised of a four-seam fastball, slider and cutter. He uses his extra-large 6'7" frame to get good extension down the mound. His mid-90s heater plays up as a result. Expect Jones to continue to be used in a multi-inning relief role with the Shrimp. High-A Beloit Beloit inched closer to a playoff spot this week, winning five very meaningful games against the Cedar Rapids Kernals. Pitching was the star of the show: the Carp staff limited their opponents to just 16 runs total over 54 innings. Beloit now sits in a tie with Quad Cities atop the Midwest League West division in the second half. To say Cody Schrier has had an up-and-down season would be putting it lightly. After struggling with offensive consistency in the first half, the 23-year-old first baseman was placed on the development list. Since returning, Schrier has found a new side and improved version of himself. In the first half, he slashed just .198/.338/.371. In the second half, .318/.370/.618. That includes a 9-for-23 performance in this week’s series. Schrier was one of the most advanced high school bats in his class, ranking as the second-best prep shortstop in California. He played in parts of three collegiate seasons at UCLA and showed flashes, but missed most of 2023 due to injury and his production cratered in 2024. The Marlins challenged him quickly in his pro career, sending Schrier to Beloit last year despite spending just 47 games at Low-A in which he slashed .237/.295/.335. Underlying stats overall this year for Schrier are solid; he’s right around league average in terms of walks and just above league average in limiting strikeouts. The swing isn’t bad at all, either. With a good pedigree and solid tools, it could be that Schrier just needed proper time to develop while under less stress. Schrier could turn into a steal as a 13th-round pick who has defensive versatility at multiple positions, though we will need to see a bit more of a sample size to make that determination. Nate Payne had been on a good trajectory in each of his previous two outings, limiting damage and showing swing-and-miss stuff. The only thing not there for Payne was the innings as he lasted just a combined 8 ⅔ frames. Payne solved for that by being more economical with his pitches and limiting walks as he completed six innings for the first time since June 26. He allowed one run and struck out eight. Payne’s overall numbers are above average on the year. He has a 3.58 ERA in 100.2 IP. His recent limitation had been in working too deep into counts and elevating his pitch count early in games. Having to come further into the zone in longer at-bats had also allowed opposing hitters to get the better of him. His BAA in July was .265. In these last three starts, though, Payne has been able to work ahead earlier in at-bats and mix more to his liking, leading to a much more efficient .224 BAA in his last 14.2 IP. Payne doesn’t have blow-it-by-you velocity; when he's at his best, he’s a strike-thrower who is able to limit contact early in counts, induce ground balls and utilize two very good breakers to get whiffs. The command is still the biggest question mark for Payne, but when it is on, he has the potential of a mid-rotation starter. At the very least, he could be a viable multiple-inning reliever at the next level. Low-A Jupiter It was a 2-3 week for the Hammerheads against the Bradenton Marauders. Eric Guevera recently made his pro debut and in eight games, he has slashed .292/.414/.542/.955 with two home runs, six RBI and a 151 wRC+. The Marlins selected Guevera in the seventh round of the 2026 MLB Draft. Struggles for PJ Morlando continue. In 82 games, he is slashing .199/.325/.318/.643 with eight home runs, 33 RBI and a 79 wRC+. After a month of July where he had a .779 OPS, the best mark for him in the minors, August has seen his numbers dip back down to the season norm, a .660 OPS. It's tough to deny at this point that the Marlins regret making him a first-round pick. After struggling in July, Luis Arana is back to looking like himself. In 15 games this month, he is slashing .283/.377/.415/.792 with one home run and three RBI. On the season, he also has 37 stolen bases with a 109 wRC+ between the FCL and Low-A levels. Jacob Lombard is slashing .241/.382/.407/.790 with three home runs, 12 RBI and a 116 wRC+. The only concern is the 36.8% strikeout rate, but is walking 14.7% of the time. Lombard continues to look comfortable at the plate and defensively, he looks like a serious candidate to stick at shortstop. This week's schedule Triple-A Jacksonville vs. Nashville Double-A Pensacola at Montgomery High-A Beloit at Quad Cities Low-A Jupiter vs. Tampa
  9. MIAMI, FL — Through the first 22 games of the season, Heriberto Hernandez was slashing .159/.284/.190/.474 with zero home runs and nine RBI. He was sent down to Triple-A Jacksonville on April 27 before being recalled on May 7. Since then, the switch has flipped. On Tuesday night against the Boston Red Sox, Hernandez hit his 20th home run of the season, doubling his total from last year. The Marlins fell to the Red Sox in extra innings by a final score of 7-3. Since being recalled from Triple-A, Hernandez entered Tuesday's game slashing .249/.320/.517/.837 with 19 home runs and 44 RBI. In August, he is now slashing .219/.329/.411/.740 with four home runs and 11 RBI. "The first couple of weeks to start this season, I think circumstances were different," Marlins manager Clayton McCullough said. "It's his first time making an Opening Day roster, somewhat wanting to pick up where he left off and just didn't seem as convicted in his at-bats, didn't seem as aggressive like we've seen him, and since he's come back has been a much different story." In the bottom of the sixth inning, he took Red Sox starting pitcher Payton Tolle deep, tying the game at two apiece. Hernandez became the tenth Marlin since 2018 to have a 20-homer season, most recently done by Kyle Stowers last year. Hernandez becomes just the third outfielder in that group over that span. With 10 home runs in 128 plate appearances against left-handed pitching this season, OF Heriberto Hernández owns the third-highest HR/PA rate (.078) among hitters with at least 100 plate appearances against lefties, trailing only Baltimore's Coby Mayo (.108 HR/PA) and Cleveland's Joe Adell (.080 HR/PA). "I think that he certainly has a real presence in the box," McCullough said. "He gets off really good swings. He can hit fastballs, mistakes and spin in the zone. Hits verse right and left, so his ability to supply some power for us is really important." After not making his previous scheduled start in favor of a bullpen game, Tyler Phillips took the mound on Tuesday against the Red Sox. Despite surrendering a solo homer to Mickey Gasper, Phillips struck out seven in 4 1/3 innings of work. Victor Vodnik entered the game in the fifth inning to close things out. Gasper would notch his first career multi-homer game in the top of the sixth inning, hitting his fifth home run of the season off Marlins reliever Tyler Zuber. That gave the Red Sox a 2-1 lead. When the Marlins added Brian Navarreto to the active roster, he wasn't supposed to play a lot. When Navarreto does play, he is a spark plug in terms of the energy he provides and just another solid defensive catcher behind the plate. On Tuesday, he battled with Tolle in the bottom of the fifth inning. With the bases loaded and one out, Navarreto hit a sac fly to center field, allowing all runners to advance, tying the game, 1-1. In the seventh inning, he had a sac bunt, moving Jakob Marsee from first to second. Navarreto had his sixth caught stealing of the season, throwing out Eli White in the top of the ninth inning. "He's just a gamer," McCullough said regarding his backstop. "He had some opportunities, nice situations to do some things and he came through. The at-bats now certainly in his last three starts or so have really improved. In an at-bat where you see a lot of pitches, it's still a productive at-bat for the group." In extra innings, both teams scored a run in the 10th inning. With the bases loaded in the top of the 11th inning, Jarren Duran hit a grand slam off lefty Cade Gibson, giving the Red Sox a 7-3 lead that they wouldn't lose. With the loss, the Marlins drop to 67-66 on the season. Ryan Gusto will go opposite of Sonny Gray as the Fish look to avoid the sweep on Wednesday.
  10. MIAMI, FL — Through the first 22 games of the season, Heriberto Hernandez was slashing .159/.284/.190/.474 with zero home runs and nine RBI. He was sent down to Triple-A Jacksonville on April 27 before being recalled on May 7. Since then, the switch has flipped. On Tuesday night against the Boston Red Sox, Hernandez hit his 20th home run of the season, doubling his total from last year. The Marlins fell to the Red Sox in extra innings by a final score of 7-3. Since being recalled from Triple-A, Hernandez entered Tuesday's game slashing .249/.320/.517/.837 with 19 home runs and 44 RBI. In August, he is now slashing .219/.329/.411/.740 with four home runs and 11 RBI. "The first couple of weeks to start this season, I think circumstances were different," Marlins manager Clayton McCullough said. "It's his first time making an Opening Day roster, somewhat wanting to pick up where he left off and just didn't seem as convicted in his at-bats, didn't seem as aggressive like we've seen him, and since he's come back has been a much different story." In the bottom of the sixth inning, he took Red Sox starting pitcher Payton Tolle deep, tying the game at two apiece. Hernandez became the tenth Marlin since 2018 to have a 20-homer season, most recently done by Kyle Stowers last year. Hernandez becomes just the third outfielder in that group over that span. With 10 home runs in 128 plate appearances against left-handed pitching this season, OF Heriberto Hernández owns the third-highest HR/PA rate (.078) among hitters with at least 100 plate appearances against lefties, trailing only Baltimore's Coby Mayo (.108 HR/PA) and Cleveland's Joe Adell (.080 HR/PA). "I think that he certainly has a real presence in the box," McCullough said. "He gets off really good swings. He can hit fastballs, mistakes and spin in the zone. Hits verse right and left, so his ability to supply some power for us is really important." After not making his previous scheduled start in favor of a bullpen game, Tyler Phillips took the mound on Tuesday against the Red Sox. Despite surrendering a solo homer to Mickey Gasper, Phillips struck out seven in 4 1/3 innings of work. Victor Vodnik entered the game in the fifth inning to close things out. Gasper would notch his first career multi-homer game in the top of the sixth inning, hitting his fifth home run of the season off Marlins reliever Tyler Zuber. That gave the Red Sox a 2-1 lead. When the Marlins added Brian Navarreto to the active roster, he wasn't supposed to play a lot. When Navarreto does play, he is a spark plug in terms of the energy he provides and just another solid defensive catcher behind the plate. On Tuesday, he battled with Tolle in the bottom of the fifth inning. With the bases loaded and one out, Navarreto hit a sac fly to center field, allowing all runners to advance, tying the game, 1-1. In the seventh inning, he had a sac bunt, moving Jakob Marsee from first to second. Navarreto had his sixth caught stealing of the season, throwing out Eli White in the top of the ninth inning. "He's just a gamer," McCullough said regarding his backstop. "He had some opportunities, nice situations to do some things and he came through. The at-bats now certainly in his last three starts or so have really improved. In an at-bat where you see a lot of pitches, it's still a productive at-bat for the group." In extra innings, both teams scored a run in the 10th inning. With the bases loaded in the top of the 11th inning, Jarren Duran hit a grand slam off lefty Cade Gibson, giving the Red Sox a 7-3 lead that they wouldn't lose. With the loss, the Marlins drop to 67-66 on the season. Ryan Gusto will go opposite of Sonny Gray as the Fish look to avoid the sweep on Wednesday. View full article
  11. MIAMI, FL — On Sunday morning, the Miami Marlins designated left-handed reliever John King for assignment, making room for right-hander Jack Ralston in their bullpen. King was one of five offseason major league free agent signings that the Marlins made. Throughout the first half of the season, he was easily the best of the bunch, posting a 2.48 ERA and 3.93 FIP in 40 innings of work (40 appearances). He also stranded 23 of 25 inherited baserunners during that span. However, King never returned to form after missing time in July with an ankle injury. He's made 10 appearances since then, posting a 10.24 ERA and 8.67 FIP. In the month of August alone, he has a 13.50 ERA and only had one clean inning, which was his first outing of the month. "I got John probably on a Mount Rushmore of teammates. What a pro," Marlins manager Clayton McCullough said pregame. "John pitched a lot and I asked him to pitch even some times when it probably wasn't the most advantageous. It was about the team, and John always just took the ball and had no ego. This decision for me just came down to looking at our where we are now in this season and the group we have down in the 'pen." Previously the Marlins' top option against left-handed batters, McCullough admitted that King had fallen down the depth chart, pitching exclusively in "down games" that had gotten out of hand. "That's not a great spot for him, and I think for us, it just didn't make a lot of sense, either." The Marlins could have controlled King for the 2027 season via arbitration, but he would've required a raise from this year's $1.5 million salary. They decided he wasn't worth it. Pete Fairbanks is now the lone free agent signing who remains from the offseason, while Cade Gibson is the only left-hander on Miami's active roster. On the flip side, the Marlins calling up Ralston is the perfect move for a bullpen group that has struggled recently. In 39 appearances this season at the Triple-A level, he has posted a 1.66 ERA, 3.82 FIP, 11.31 K/9 and 4.37 BB/9. Ralston was recently added to the Marlins 40-man roster on August 3. President of baseball operations Peter Bendix previously highlighted Ralston as a prime example of somebody who his front office targeted in minor league free agency based on exciting underlying skills and approached with specific tweaks. "They got on phone calls with Jack, explained to him why we were interested, what we wanted to do and got Jack's buy-in, and then they executed," Bendix said. "Jack was the one who actually made those changes, executed on it and continued to get better." The Marlins and Nationals will face off to wrap up this three-game set on Sunday at 1:40 pm with Janson Junk taking the mound.
  12. MIAMI, FL — On Sunday morning, the Miami Marlins designated left-handed reliever John King for assignment, making room for right-hander Jack Ralston in their bullpen. King was one of five offseason major league free agent signings that the Marlins made. Throughout the first half of the season, he was easily the best of the bunch, posting a 2.48 ERA and 3.93 FIP in 40 innings of work (40 appearances). He also stranded 23 of 25 inherited baserunners during that span. However, King never returned to form after missing time in July with an ankle injury. He's made 10 appearances since then, posting a 10.24 ERA and 8.67 FIP. In the month of August alone, he has a 13.50 ERA and only had one clean inning, which was his first outing of the month. "I got John probably on a Mount Rushmore of teammates. What a pro," Marlins manager Clayton McCullough said pregame. "John pitched a lot and I asked him to pitch even some times when it probably wasn't the most advantageous. It was about the team, and John always just took the ball and had no ego. This decision for me just came down to looking at our where we are now in this season and the group we have down in the 'pen." Previously the Marlins' top option against left-handed batters, McCullough admitted that King had fallen down the depth chart, pitching exclusively in "down games" that had gotten out of hand. "That's not a great spot for him, and I think for us, it just didn't make a lot of sense, either." The Marlins could have controlled King for the 2027 season via arbitration, but he would've required a raise from this year's $1.5 million salary. They decided he wasn't worth it. Pete Fairbanks is now the lone free agent signing who remains from the offseason, while Cade Gibson is the only left-hander on Miami's active roster. On the flip side, the Marlins calling up Ralston is the perfect move for a bullpen group that has struggled recently. In 39 appearances this season at the Triple-A level, he has posted a 1.66 ERA, 3.82 FIP, 11.31 K/9 and 4.37 BB/9. Ralston was recently added to the Marlins 40-man roster on August 3. President of baseball operations Peter Bendix previously highlighted Ralston as a prime example of somebody who his front office targeted in minor league free agency based on exciting underlying skills and approached with specific tweaks. "They got on phone calls with Jack, explained to him why we were interested, what we wanted to do and got Jack's buy-in, and then they executed," Bendix said. "Jack was the one who actually made those changes, executed on it and continued to get better." The Marlins and Nationals will face off to wrap up this three-game set on Sunday at 1:40 pm with Janson Junk taking the mound. View full article
  13. MIAMI, FL — The Miami Marlins continued their dominance over the Washington Nationals on Saturday afternoon. A 4-2 victory was their seventh in eight head-to-head matchups this season between the division rivals. The Marlins wasted no time getting to Nationals starter Jake Irvin. In the bottom of the first inning, following back-to-back hits from Griffin Conine and Owen Caissie, Otto Lopez knocked in a two-run single, giving the Fish an early 2-0 lead. López has slumped for the most part since the All-Star break, going into Saturday's game sporting a .530 OPS during that span. With hits in three straight games, he may finally be snapping out of it. In the ensuing inning, Heriberto Hernández hit his 19th home run of the season, extending the Marlins' lead to 3-0. Since being recalled from Triple-A Jacksonville back on May 7, he has an .815 OPS. Jakob Marsee plated Miami's final run with his eighth home run of the season in the bottom of the fourth inning. Marsee finished the afternoon with his fourth multi-hit game in the month of August. He is slashing .286/.385/.482/.867 with two home runs since the month began. "I feel like this past month and a half, I haven't really been stressed at all," Marsee said. "I've been really confident, having good at-bats and the results are starting to come, which is great. It sucks when you're not performing, and especially when I feel like I was having good at-bats or hitting the ball hard at times, and just things not going away, but that's baseball and I know I can make an impact in a lot of ways." For a second straight start, Eury Pérez struggled with his command. Against the Reds in his last start, he walked five, and on Saturday, he walked three in five innings of work. He also allowed two runs (one earned) on three hits and struck out four. The bottomline results have been great anyway as he owns a 1.99 ERA in the month of August. "There were a lot of armside misses today with Eury more consistently than we've seen and didn't really have a terrific rhythm," said Marlins manager Clayton McCullough. "Lots of deep counts, but we're talking about it differently now on those kind of days where it's a little bit more scattered. He's tough to hit and keeping the ball in the ballpark now at a much different rate than he ever has in his career." Pérez has now gone 60 straight innings, spanning nearly 10 full starts without allowing a home run. He also has a 1.67 ERA over his last 13 starts. José Fernández and Dontrelle Willis are the only Marlins pitchers ages 23 and younger to post a lower ERA in any 13-start span. In 23 starts for Pérez, he has a 3.17 ERA, 3.67 FIP, 9.66 K/9 and 3.67 BB/9. Now in uncharted territory when it comes to workload (127.2 IP), McCullough told Craig Mish on Marlins.TV that Pérez will not have any specific innings limit. McCullough said they will be mindful of his workload, but there are no plans to stop him from pitching. The Marlins bullpen was perfect. The combination of Michael Petersen, Josh Ekness, Tyler Zuber and Calvin Faucher combined to retire every batter they faced in four total innings of work. Ekness specifically hasn't allowed a run in his last five appearances. He has a 0.93 ERA in the month of August. Overall on the season, the rookie right-hander has a 1.20 ERA, 4.02 FIP, 6.00 K/9 and 4.20 BB/9 in 14 appearances. "We knew coming in that Josh would play a factor in this season at some point," McCullough said. "I think it's probably as good a fastball as there is in the bullpen in the big leagues. When you take into account the low release, velocity and vert on his heater, it's a real pitch. Right now, it's a really tough at-bat versus right, and I think we'll start to see as Josh continues to pitch here that the walks go down and the strikeouts go up." With the win, the Marlins improve to 66-64 on the season. That includes a 40-25 record at home, which is fourth-best in MLB—only the division-leading Milwaukee Brewers (45-23), Tampa Bay Rays (43-23) and Atlanta Braves (42-23) have been better. The Marlins go for the sweep on Sunday at 1:40 pm with Janson Junk starting. It will also be "Thank you Tommy Day," with a special pregame ceremony honoring longtime color analyst Tommy Hutton, who'll be retiring after this season.
  14. MIAMI, FL — The Miami Marlins continued their dominance over the Washington Nationals on Saturday afternoon. A 4-2 victory was their seventh in eight head-to-head matchups this season between the division rivals. The Marlins wasted no time getting to Nationals starter Jake Irvin. In the bottom of the first inning, following back-to-back hits from Griffin Conine and Owen Caissie, Otto Lopez knocked in a two-run single, giving the Fish an early 2-0 lead. López has slumped for the most part since the All-Star break, going into Saturday's game sporting a .530 OPS during that span. With hits in three straight games, he may finally be snapping out of it. In the ensuing inning, Heriberto Hernández hit his 19th home run of the season, extending the Marlins' lead to 3-0. Since being recalled from Triple-A Jacksonville back on May 7, he has an .815 OPS. Jakob Marsee plated Miami's final run with his eighth home run of the season in the bottom of the fourth inning. Marsee finished the afternoon with his fourth multi-hit game in the month of August. He is slashing .286/.385/.482/.867 with two home runs since the month began. "I feel like this past month and a half, I haven't really been stressed at all," Marsee said. "I've been really confident, having good at-bats and the results are starting to come, which is great. It sucks when you're not performing, and especially when I feel like I was having good at-bats or hitting the ball hard at times, and just things not going away, but that's baseball and I know I can make an impact in a lot of ways." For a second straight start, Eury Pérez struggled with his command. Against the Reds in his last start, he walked five, and on Saturday, he walked three in five innings of work. He also allowed two runs (one earned) on three hits and struck out four. The bottomline results have been great anyway as he owns a 1.99 ERA in the month of August. "There were a lot of armside misses today with Eury more consistently than we've seen and didn't really have a terrific rhythm," said Marlins manager Clayton McCullough. "Lots of deep counts, but we're talking about it differently now on those kind of days where it's a little bit more scattered. He's tough to hit and keeping the ball in the ballpark now at a much different rate than he ever has in his career." Pérez has now gone 60 straight innings, spanning nearly 10 full starts without allowing a home run. He also has a 1.67 ERA over his last 13 starts. José Fernández and Dontrelle Willis are the only Marlins pitchers ages 23 and younger to post a lower ERA in any 13-start span. In 23 starts for Pérez, he has a 3.17 ERA, 3.67 FIP, 9.66 K/9 and 3.67 BB/9. Now in uncharted territory when it comes to workload (127.2 IP), McCullough told Craig Mish on Marlins.TV that Pérez will not have any specific innings limit. McCullough said they will be mindful of his workload, but there are no plans to stop him from pitching. The Marlins bullpen was perfect. The combination of Michael Petersen, Josh Ekness, Tyler Zuber and Calvin Faucher combined to retire every batter they faced in four total innings of work. Ekness specifically hasn't allowed a run in his last five appearances. He has a 0.93 ERA in the month of August. Overall on the season, the rookie right-hander has a 1.20 ERA, 4.02 FIP, 6.00 K/9 and 4.20 BB/9 in 14 appearances. "We knew coming in that Josh would play a factor in this season at some point," McCullough said. "I think it's probably as good a fastball as there is in the bullpen in the big leagues. When you take into account the low release, velocity and vert on his heater, it's a real pitch. Right now, it's a really tough at-bat versus right, and I think we'll start to see as Josh continues to pitch here that the walks go down and the strikeouts go up." With the win, the Marlins improve to 66-64 on the season. That includes a 40-25 record at home, which is fourth-best in MLB—only the division-leading Milwaukee Brewers (45-23), Tampa Bay Rays (43-23) and Atlanta Braves (42-23) have been better. The Marlins go for the sweep on Sunday at 1:40 pm with Janson Junk starting. It will also be "Thank you Tommy Day," with a special pregame ceremony honoring longtime color analyst Tommy Hutton, who'll be retiring after this season. View full article
  15. In advance of Saturday’s contest against the Washington Nationals, the Miami Marlins will recall Deyvison De Los Santos from Triple-A Jacksonville, Fish On First has learned. The team has yet to make the roster move official. De Los Santos has had two brief stints with the Marlins this season, from March 28-29 and April 10-18. In three games at the big league level, he went 2-for-7 with three strikeouts. De Los Santos has spent most of the season with Triple-A Jacksonville, where he is slashing .281/.345/.486/.831 with 18 home runs, 65 RBI, 17 stolen bases and a 117 wRC+ in 96 games. These are his best numbers since his breakout 2024 campaign, when he hit 40 home runs, including 12 with the Marlins organization. On top of that, De Los Santos is having a dominant month of August, posting an OPS of 1.079 with six home runs and 13 RBI. This marks his best month of the Minor League season. The biggest adjustment for De Los Santos has been his strikeout rate. In 2024, it stood at 24.7%, and it is now at 19.7%, the lowest of his MiLB career. On top of just striking out less, the Dominican Republic native is pulling the ball less and using the entire field a bit more, especially the opposite way. In 2025 at AAA, De Los Santos posted a 47.2% pull rate, which he has lowered to 42.0% this season. The major league average for opposite field rate is 24.1%; De Los Santos is currently at 33.1%, a 4.1% increase from 2025. All of these changes are positive ones that have clearly made De Los Santos a better overall hitter, but the elite power that he once showed has taken a step back. It will be interesting to see how the Marlins use De Los Santos once he is called up. In 2026, he has reverse splits, posting an .855 OPS against right-handed pitching compared to a .767 OPS against left-handed pitching. Having converted to first base this season, Kyle Stowers is progressing in his rehab from a hamstring strain, though he's projected to need a few more weeks to return to game action. In the meantime, De Los Santos will mainly split reps with Griffin Conine. The Marlins currently are carrying four catchers on their roster. With Joe Mack looking fully healthy following a recent battle with right shoulder soreness, it's likely that one of his backups will get sent down to make room for De Los Santos. View full article
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