Kevin Barral

MIAMI, FL — It's been a strange start to the 2026 season for Connor Norby. Manning first base due to the absence of free agent signing Christopher Morel (oblique strain), Norby has taken nearly all of his defensive reps at a foreign position. Offensively, Norby has put up strong at-bats, but not gotten the results to match. Going into Wednesday night, Norby was slashing .167/.342/.233/.575 with one RBI. In the Miami Marlins' 7-4 win over the Cincinnati Reds, he had his first multi-hit game since Opening Day, including his first home run. "This guy's always been a good hitter," said Marlins manager Clayton McCullough pregame. "I think we're seeing better at-bat quality, and then the results, I believe, are going to follow that." Early on, Norby ranks in the 74th percentile among MLB players in chase rate, 78th percentile in strikeout rate, and 76th percentile in walk rate. For context, he ranked in the 25th percentile or lower in each of those categories in 2025. “I’m seeing a ton of pitches and hitting the ball hard, but they’re just not falling,” Norby said. “It can be frustrating at times when that’s happening—even when you’re feeling good—but Clayton and our hitting coaches have been reminding me to stick with the process and not veer from what I’m doing, because there’s still a lot of good.” Norby set expectations too high for himself last season, most notably saying his goal was a 30-home run campaign. He finished with just eight home runs and eight stolen bases, striking out 26.7% of the time as injuries that limited him to 88 games. The 2025 version of Connor Norby would have been “in full panic mode” by now, but in 2026, he understands it’s still early in the season—and that sticking with his current approach will lead to results. "I learned a lot from last year. This would've been one of those instances, like, this whole stretch, the at-bats are good...I can't ride that roller coaster of emotion like I did last year." In the bottom of the seventh inning, with the Marlins leading 6-4, Norby took Reds reliever Connor Phillips deep. The ball left his bat at 100.5 mph and went 372 feet into the Marlins bullpen. That marked only the second home run by a Marlins right-handed hitter this season. Otto Lopez had the first (4/1/26 vs. Chicago White Sox). "He got something down in the zone, and he’s good down there,” McCullough said. “It’s a good spot for him to hunt. He got something down and put a really nice trajectory on it out to left. Good swing." Norby is also drawing walks at a 11.9% rate, which is nearly doubled his average from 2024-25. “The kinds of counts he’s working and his calmness at the plate show a more patient version of him," McCullough added. "I think we started to see that toward the back half of spring training." The Marlins scored just three total runs in their first two games against the Cincinnati Reds,. On Wednesday—facing a right-handed pitcher—their bats woke up, knocking out Brady Singer after 2 ⅔ innings pitched. They scored seven runs to win their seventh game of the young campaign. Agustín Ramírez got the scoring started in the bottom of the first inning, driving in Xavier Edwards on a 110.6 mph RBI double. Liam Hicks' 13th RBI of the season tied the game at two apiece. Jakob Marsee's 100.3 mph RBI single gave the Marlins a 3-2 lead in the second. Marsee entered Wednesday with an identical 41.6% hard-hit rate as his rookie season, but poor results to show for it. His luck is gradually beginning to even out. He was driven in by Edwards on an RBI single, which made it 4-2. In the third, Griffin Conine hit his second home run of the season, a two-run shot. The ball left the bat at 109.8 mph and went 403 feet into right field. Conine, who has only 23 plate appearances so far, is now slashing .300/.391/.650/1.041 with two home runs and four RBI. “Griff has impact potential,” McCullough said. “He really smoked that ball to right-center as well...When he squares it up, he has the ability to do some damage.” After Leo Jiménez notched his third hit as a Marlin, Singer was taken out. Eury Pérez, looking to bounce back after a rough outing against the New York Yankees, looked better command-wise, but still allowed four runs (two earned) in five innings of work. He also struck out six. His sweeper, which is the newest pitch to his arsenal, was his second-most-used pitch on Wednesday night. He generated four whiffs with it, three of which resulted in strikeouts. It took 35 pitches for Pérez to make it through the top of the first inning partly due to some rough defense. With a runner on second, Sal Stewart hit what should've been an inning-ending groundout, but 3B Graham Pauley committed a rare fielding error, which allowed the runner to score and give the Reds an early 1-0 lead. An RBI double from World Baseball Classic legend Eugenio Suárez followed, extending the lead to 2-0. In the top of the fifth, Pérez surrendered a two-run shot to Stewart, his third home run of the season. The Miami native launched a changeup 381 feet deep to left field, trimming Miami's lead to 6-4. “Only five innings and 95 pitches—it was a strange one,” McCullough said. “There weren’t many hard-hit balls outside of Stewart’s home run. It seemed like they were just able to move a few balls forward and extend some innings, which drove the pitch count up early.” With the win, the Marlins improved to 7–5 on the season. On getaway day, Max Meyer will take the mound for an early 12:10 p.m. first pitch. View full article

MIAMI, FL — The final stage of Kyle Stowers' recovery from a right hamstring strain begins Friday night when he is scheduled to play his first minor league rehab game with Triple-A Jacksonville. Stowers left Miami on Thursday afternoon to meet up with the Jumbo Shrimp in Norfolk, Virginia, where they're in the middle of a series against the Baltimore Orioles' AAA affiliate. Even with their All-Star-caliber hitters like Stowers, the Marlins value positional flexibility. The 28-year-old outfielder was seen earlier this week participating in defensive drills at first base, an experiment which has been in the works since November, according to Marlins manager Clayton McCullough. "Kyle potentially had a skill set to maybe do that," McCullough said regarding the idea to develop Stowers at the position. "It wasn't about this being a full-time first base and we're looking to transition. I think over the course of the year, it's something that you can pull off, and it's a day to get you off your feet a little bit. A different type of workload over there within a game." Stowers has never played first base in the minor or major leagues, though he totaled 23 games of experience as a college player during the summers of 2017 and 2018. The Marlins mainly used him in left field last season, where he had two defensive runs saved and five outfield assists. He was named a National League Gold Glove finalist at the position. First base has generally been a weakness for the Marlins throughout the past few seasons. They signed free agent Christopher Morel to be their main option there entering 2026, but on Opening Day as Morel was taking batting practice, he suffered a left oblique strain, knocking him out for 4-6 weeks. He is currently in Jupiter progressing and taking part in baseball activities. In the absences of Stowers and Morel, Connor Norby has received most of the playing time at first. Through 11 games, Norby is slashing .206/.357/.353/.710 with one home run and two RBI. Liam Hicks is off to an incredibly hot start, but his primary position is catcher. The Marlins have gotten good offensive contributions from outfielders Griffin Conine, Jakob Marsee and Owen Caissie against right-handed pitching. Stowers being able to handle first would open the possibility for him to share a lineup with Hicks, Conine, Marsee and Caissie later this season. "I want to keep Kyle in games," McCullough said. "We have some really good outfielders that I think would help us. It's a way that it can maybe keep him in games as well." This rehab assignment is expected to be longer than usual. Stowers originally injured his hamstring very early in spring training, then re-aggravated it on March 20 in West Palm Beach against the Houston Astros. Although it was diagnosed as a minor (Grade 1) strain, he needs time to get his timing right and his physical conditioning up to major league standards. Barring setbacks, he should be reinstated from the IL during the week of April 20. View full article

Marlins manager Clayton McCullough speaks with the media about his controversial handling of the ninth inning in Tuesday's frustrating loss to the Cincinnati Reds. View full video

MIAMI, FL — Sandy Alcantara took the mound in the top of the ninth inning with a 2–0 lead, aiming to become the fourth pitcher in Marlins franchise history to record back-to-back complete-game shutouts. After surrendering a double and a walk, manager Clayton McCullough made his most controversial move of the young season, removing his ace in favor of Anthony Bender. Everything unraveled for Miami from there, as both inherited runners scored to tie the game at two. In extra innings, the Reds added four more runs to secure a 6–3 victory. “(Anthony) Bender was the best person to win the game for us,” McCullough said. “Sandy had certainly gone above and beyond and threw great, but the decision didn’t work out. At that time, I thought the best way to win the game was going with Anthony.” Alcantara, who has thrown 13 complete games—five of them shutouts—was coming off a complete-game shutout in his previous start. McCullough approached the mound in the ninth already set on making the change, with no discussion planned. After the game, Alcantara said he had not spoken with his manager. “I deserved to be asked how I felt before I was taken out of the game,” Alcantara said. “I saw him coming out, and even before he crossed the line, he pointed to the bullpen. Negative thoughts crossed my mind, but those are things I can’t control. Tomorrow I’ll be here preparing for my next start and hoping things go differently.” Through three starts, Alcantara has pitched into at least the seventh inning each time, but for him, it’s not about innings—it’s about pitch count. “They are just innings, not pitches,” Alcantara said in Spanish. He was at 95 pitches and set to face Sal Stewart for the fourth time, having struck him out in his previous at-bat. With runners on first and second and one out—and a 47.6% ground-ball rate—Alcantara had a strong chance to induce a game-ending double play. Still, McCullough opted not to let him face Stewart again. “There are a lot of decisions over the course of a game and a season that weigh on you,” McCullough said. “For this one not to go our way certainly doesn’t feel great. Answering for it is part of the job, and I don’t feel good about how it finished. Losing the game is what stings the most.” As McCullough walked to the mound, fans began to boo, voicing their frustration with the decision to pull the Marlins’ ace. He acknowledged the reaction afterward. “We have passionate fans, and they care. They’re very invested in us winning games,” McCullough said. “They’re certainly within their right to be displeased when things don’t go our way.” Overall, Alcantara finished the night going 8 ⅓ innings pitched, allowing two runs on three hits, two walks and struck out six. His fastball topped out at 99.5 mph, which he hit in the top of the first inning. The changeup was once again his most dominant pitch, generating six whiffs and striking out four with it. His four-seam fastball, which he threw 17.1% of the time in 2025, was his most used pitch on Tuesday, and has been his second-most-used pitch overall. He struck out two with the four-seam and landed it nine out of ten times for a first pitch strike. "I've been doing a great job," Alcantara said. "Doing my work in the 'pen, trying to locate my four-seam, and today was great. Threw a lot of four-seam today for strikes from both sides." Because of McCullough's move, Dontrelle Willis remains the only Marlins pitcher to throw nine-inning shutouts in consecutive starts, which he did on April 8 and April 13, 2005. On the offensive side, the Marlins did provide early run support for Alcantara, as both Otto Lopez and Heriberto Hernandez had RBI groundouts, taking a 2-0 lead. The next time Miami scored a run came in the bottom of the tenth inning, when Graham Pauley grounded into a fielders choice, scoring Jakob Marsee, the runner at third. Miami's offense was 2-for-11 with runners in scoring position, unable to provide a bigger cushion for their ace. Marsee, who had gotten off to a slow start in 2026, finished with his first multi-hit performance of the season, highlighted by a 109.0 mph base hit, his hardest hit ball of the season. On the base paths, he also had four stolen bases, which tied a franchise record. The Marlins dropped to 6-5 on the season, now searching for a series split against the Reds. Eury Pérez, who struggled in his last start against the New York Yankees, will take the mound for Miami on Wednesday at 6:40 pm. View full article

For the 2026 season, Fish On First will provide weekly reports on the Miami Marlins farm system, covering all levels. Here's the season debut of our Fish On First Prospect Report. Triple-A Jacksonville It has generally been a terrible start to the Jumbo Shrimp season, especially offensively. Their .557 OPS as a team is 75 points lower than any other Triple-A affiliate. Jacksonville's best hitter so far is Deyvison De Los Santos. He has played in five AAA games, slashing .278/.381/.611/.992 with two home runs, six RBI and a 157 wRC+. After a spring training that saw much better plate discipline from the 22-year-old, the Marlins had to call up De Los Santos when Christopher Morel went down, but he was sent back down following the opening series when the team acquired infielder Leo Jiménez. With the Shrimp, he's only struck out 19.0% of the time. If these spring training and early-season approach improvements sustain, De Los Santos can see some time at the major league level by season's end. The other first baseman on the Jumbo Shrimp, Nathan Martorella, who is slashing .208/.394/.375/.769 with one home run, seven RBI and a 116 wRC+. He has just as many walks as strikeouts. Martorella, 25, was one of the four players acquired in the trade that sent Luis Arraez to the San Diego Padres. Outfielder Andrew Pintar may have gotten off to a slow start in terms of production, but his overall plate appearances have been strong, with a .382 on-base percentage, walking 17.6% of the time. One of this organization's fastest runners, reaching first base on a consistent basis is huge for him. Pintar, who plays all three outfield spots, could play a role on the big league team if we see any injuries come up. Braxton Garrett did not make the Marlins rotation coming out of spring despite 63 starts of MLB experience. In his second start of the Triple-A season on Sunday, he allowed two hits and two walks in 4 ⅔ shutout innings. He also struck out eight. Six of his eight strikeouts were swinging strikeouts. Overall, Garrett generated 14 whiffs, with six of them coming on his slider. On the other hand, his four-seam fastball only averaged 90.7 mph and the sinker was averaging 90 mph. He topped out at 92.9 mph. William Kempner leads all pitchers with four appearances, posting a 4.50 ERA, but does have a 2.02 FIP with a 24.75 K/9 (11 strikeouts) and 2.25 BB/9 in four innings of work. Kempner has been a bit unlucky, so the ERA should at some point go down. Jack Ralston was the most impressive of the Marlins minor league free agent signings throughout spring training. In three regular season appearances, he already has a 2.25 ERA, 2.27 FIP, 15.75 K/9 and 6.75 BB/9 in four innings pitched. Ralston's walk issues have continued, as control/command has been an ongoing issue throughout his career. Dax Fulton unfortunately continues to struggle, as in two appearances (one start), he's allowed nine runs and four walks. He just hasn't been able to look like the Dax Fulton we saw in 2022 who had the potential to be a future piece of the Marlins rotation. At this point, it may be time to see what they can get out of him in the bullpen. Double-A Pensacola The Wahoos got their season started at home with a three-game set against the Montgomery Biscuits. A low-scoring affair and pitchers’ duel in their first game gave way to a shutout at the hands of a familiar face. Their third game was postponed due to rain. Pensacola will head out on the road this week still searching for their first win. After participating in MLB spring training and starting the Spring Breakout showcase for Miami, Karson Milbrandt got the Opening Day nod for Pensacola. He showed off his new sweeper early and often, earning his first strikeout on one with great vertical break that dove out of the hitter’s sight. Refined during the Arizona Fall League this past season, Milbrandt already has supreme confidence in the pitch. Lauded for the work he did physically over the winter, Milbrandt topped at 97 mph and sat 95 with his fastball. The benefactor of some great defense early including on a robbed home run by Fenwick Trimble and a great play in the hole at short by newcomer Cristian Hernández, Milbrandt got better as the start got older. Ultimately, he allowed just one earned run on four hits and two walks while working into the fifth inning. Some minor command lapses aside, this was a great 2026 debut for Milbrandt to build upon. One of the newest Marlins in the upper minors, Brendan Jones is making a solid first impression. After posting four hits including a home run and four walks in 10 spring training games with the Marlins, Jones went three for his first eight in his first two games with the Blue Wahoos. He also notched his first two stolen bases of the campaign. Fresh off a .245/.359/.395 52 stolen bases season at High-A and Double-A, the 5’9”, 180-pound line-drive hitter who is a threat for extra bases whenever a ball drops, Jones is the most well-rounded piece that came back to the Marlins in the Ryan Weathers trade. A lefty hitter that limits strikeouts and who will be able to stick in center field, Jones has a high floor and if he can add more power, has the capability of raising his ceiling. In an advantageous developmental situation with an organization that has done very well with lefty-hitting outfielders, Jones is a name on the rise. High-A Beloit After being postponed twice, the Sky Carp finally got their season kicked off against the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers on Saturday in rare fashion: their first slate of the year was a doubleheader. Beloit fell behind early in both games, but fought back valiantly on both occasions. They wound up splitting the twin bill. The third game of the series was canceled. Starlyn Caba, our Prospect of the Week, was the star of the series. After an impressive Arizona Fall League campaign and spring training, the 20-year-old began the year with Beloit, despite being two years younger than the league average competitor. Caba burst out of the gates by going a combined 4-for-7 in his first two High-A contests. In the second game, he knocked in four of five Sky Carp runs. Caba showcased great bat control all day long, getting good wood on pitches both in and out of the strike zone. Probably his most impressive hit on the day was a single on a ball he got to up and out of the strike zone. Known for great defense and speed, it’s the bat the Marlins have been working diligently on and hoping to see show up more often for Caba. If early returns this season are any indication, he made the most of Miami’s hitting development tutelage this spring. If this type of production continues on a regular basis, Caba will be a solid on-base threat. If he can improve his bat speed, there’s some hidden power to tap into as well. Early returns on recent draft picks have been few and far between for the Marlins for the past couple of years, but Cam Cannarella, Miami’s competitive balance round pick from 2025, continued to be one positive outlier in his High-A debut. After slashing .284/.337/.375 for Jupiter post draft last season, the 22-year-old lefty hitter went 4-for-6 on Saturday. He also walked three times and stole a base. His standout moment was his final at-bat of the night in which he worked a full count and plated two with a single to keep the Sky Carp alive. Another glove-over-bat prospect coming out of one draft due to standout skills in center field, the Marlins have to be pleased with what Cannarella has shown early in his career at the dish. While he likely won’t ever develop enough physicality to be a power threat, he has shown a good eye and the ability to make informed swing decisions. He’s also showing a quieter and looser setup and approach this season and has taken a bit of loopiness out of his swing. Low-A Jupiter The Hammerheads are off to a 2-1 start this season, falling on Opening Day, but then rebounding to win back-to-back games against the Daytona Tortugas. On the position player side, it has been 2025 fifth-round pick Chris Arroyo, who is slashing .375/.375/.1.000/1.375 with one home run, two RBI and a 292 wRC+. Arroyo was one of many Marlins who participated in winter ball, playing in Puerto Rico. In 16 games with Leones de Ponce, he slashed .216/.341/.297/.638 with one home run and six RBI. Arroyo will see time at first base and the outfield. Shortstop prospect Carter Johnson went deep for his first hit of the season, a homer to straightaway center. Johnson struggled last season, slashing .177/.275/.261/.536 with three home runs and 43 RBI in 106 games played. His professional career has been nothing short of a disappointment thus far, but he is only 20 years old, and after a full season in Low-A, maybe he can adjust to the league and show some results. Esmil Valencia, acquired in the Jesus Sánchez trade with the Houston Astros, is slashing .300/.417/.500/.917 with two RBI. Last season in Jupiter, the right-handed hitter showed high exit velocities and slashed .327/.367/.510/.877 with three home runs, 21 RBI, 14 stolen bases and a 141 wRC+. The early concern has been Valencia's 25.0% strikeout rate and ability to catch up to major league-caliber velocity. Thomas White (Grade 1 right oblique strain) made a rehab start on April 2. He tossed 2 ⅓ innings, where he allowed two runs on two hits (one home run), walked one and struck out four. Three of White's four strikeouts were swinging strikeouts. He'll continue to stretch out as a starter with another rehab start on Wednesday. In his first appearance of the season on Opening Day, Nate Payne, an 18th-round pick from the 2024 draft, was used in a long relief role after White exited. Payne struck out eight in four innings. Last season, the 20-year-old left-handed pitcher made 17 starts between the Florida Complex League and Low-A, where he posted a 3.20 ERA, 3.72 FIP, 11.66 K/9 and 5.91 BB/9 in 56 ⅓ innings of work. This week's MiLB schedule Triple-A Jacksonville at Norfolk Double-A Pensacola at Biloxi High-A Beloit vs. Cedar Rapids Low-A Jupiter vs. Fort Myers View full article

The Miami Marlins arrived at Yankee Stadium early Sunday morning, but didn't leave the field until long after sunset. Despite a rain delay of three and a half hours and a complication to their original pitching plan, they defeated the New York Yankees by a final score of 7-6, taking one out of three in the weekend series. Chris Paddack was supposed to make his second start of the season, but because of the rain delay, manager Clayton McCullough made the decision to have Pete Fairbanks start the game as an opener. With Fairbanks' wife set to give birth to their third child, the Marlins had Fairbanks start the game so he can get back to his family sooner. Had the game started on time, Paddack would've started the game and Fairbanks would've been available out of the bullpen. Ben Rice became the first hitter to drive in runs off of Fairbanks in 2026. He took advantage of a fastball ball down for his third home run of the season, driving it 410 feet deep to right field, giving the Bronx Bombers an early 3-1 lead. In his lone inning of work, Fairbanks allowed three runs on three hits, one walk and one strikeout before turning things over to Andrew Nardi. Paddack didn't take the mound until 6:04 p.m, still trailing 3-1. His Marlins debut, which took place earlier in the week against the Chicago White Sox, was disappointing, allowing eight runs on eight hits. On Sunday night against a veteran Yankees lineup, Paddack gave the Marlins 4 ⅔ innings where the lone run allowed was unearned. He struck out four in the process. z6ylvq.mp4 On the other hand, he did allow four walks and surrendered a total of eight hard-hit balls, with five of them coming on the changeup. His overall xFIP of 5.54 indicates that luck was on his side after the opposite was true in his previous appearance. "Chris was terrific," Marlins manager Clayton McCullough said. "It was a little bit unique today with how things started and him coming out of the bullpen. The third inning was a big inning, where he made an error, trying to limit it to one run. From there to hold it down, and navigate himself really well through a really good offensive team. Elevated the fastball really well, used the changeup appropriately." The Marlins came back from their deficit gradually. Down 4-1 in the top of the fourth inning, Xavier Edwards—the hottest hitter in baseball—knocked in an RBI double, scoring Connor Norby from first to cut the Yankees lead in half. Edwards now has a hit in all nine games this season, and is currently tied with Andy Pages of the Los Angeles Dodgers with a .471 batting average. In the top of the sixth, a throwing error from shortstop Jose Caballero allowed Heriberto Hernández to reach first base safely, allowing Jakob Marsee to score, making it a 4-3 game. In the top of eighth inning, with one out, Yankees reliever Fernando Cruz walked Marsee and that is when manager Aaron Boone went with righty Jake Bird out of the bullpen to face Otto Lopez. Bird walked Lopez, hit Griffin Conine, who pinch hit for Hernández. McCullough made a second swap, opting to pinch-hit Graham Pauley in Norby's spot in the lineup. With a 1-2 count, on the fifth pitch of the at-bat, Bird's sweeper hung right in the middle of the zone and Pauley smacked a 104.3 mph RBI double, giving the Marlins a 5-4 lead. For Pauley, that marked his pinch-hit of his MLB career. Xavier Edwards plated two more runs with a single, padding the lead to 7-4. "Not an easy thing to come off the bench and do," McCullough said regarding Pauley. "He got some really good swings off...Massive hit for us, and for him." John King, Calvin Faucher and Anthony Bender followed Paddack, who shut down the Yankees lineup, allowing only one hit within that span. With Fairbanks already on a plane out of town, McCullough turned to Bender in a save situation for the first time this season. He began the bottom of the ninth inning by getting Aaron Judge to ground out, but then surrendered back-to-back walks. With runners on first and second with one out, Bender struck out former Fish Giancarlo Stanton swinging. Another former Marlin in Jazz Chisholm Jr. drove two runs in on a double, making it a one-run game. The Marlins opted to intentionally walk Austin Wells, in favor of potentially facing Caballero, but Boone used Miami native J.C. Escarra as a pinch-hitter. Escarra struck out on three pitches, ending the game. Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E MIA 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 4 0 7 7 1 NYY 3 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 6 7 1 Standing atop the National League East with a 6-3 record, the Marlins return home to begin a four-game series against the Cincinnati Reds. Janson Junk will take the mound on Monday at 6:40 p.m. View full article

Marlins right-hander Janson Junk speaks with the media after making his season debut on Tuesday. Junk's average fastball velocity was the highest of his MLB career. View full video

MIAMI, FL — Every time that the Miami Marlins have held a late-inning lead so far this season, they have secured the win. That was the case again Tuesday night in what turned out to be their most lopsided game yet, a 9-2 defeat of the Chicago White Sox. Janson Junk turned in a solid start, but the Marlins bullpen handled the majority of the workload. That unit has now combined for a 0.51 ERA—the lowest in the majors—while striking out hitters 38.1% of the time. "They've come out of the gate and really thrown the ball extremely well," said Marlins manager Clayton McCullough. "I think each guy that's been called upon in whatever capacity role that is thus far, they have just answered the bell, and they really filled the strike zone up. When you have good stuff and you throw a ton of strikes, limit the free pass late in games, you have a chance to go on some runs like this." Andrew Nardi, Anthony Bender, Calvin Faucher and Pete Fairbanks were the relievers used on Tuesday night, combining for a final line of 4 ⅔ innings pitched, zero hits, zero runs, one walk and eight strikeouts. Fairbanks led the way, striking out the side in the top of the ninth inning. Nardi, the first reliever deployed after Junk was taken out of the game with one out in the top of the fifth inning, struck out both Munetaka Murakami and Andrew Benintendi swinging with his slider to end the inning. Through 1 ⅔ innings of work in 2026, Nardi has struck out four and only allowed one hit. Once the lane of left-handed batters ended with one out in the sixth, Bender entered the game. Bender, who doesn't often go multiple innings, had to on Tuesday because Tyler Phillips and Lake Bachar were not available. He tossed 1 ⅔ innings of hitless baseball, only allowing a walk, but also struck out one. Faucher, who followed Bender, struck out two in his clean inning of work. Fairbanks entered to close things out despite it being nowhere close to a save situation. He had last thrown on Saturday, the second game of the season. It only took the former Tampa Bay Ray 15 pitches to finish the game, the most he's thrown as a member of the Marlins. "We had stretched some guys the last few days, and we had a few guys that were on back-to-backs that we wanted to stay away from today," explained McCullough. "Having Pete throw today and staying away from Phillips, he comes back tomorrow, we are hit with much more length and just gives us some more options tomorrow by doing that." Although veteran Chris Paddack struggled on Monday night in his organizational debut, he saw enough from the White Sox offense to where he was able to help out Janson Junk. Making his first start of the 2026 season the day after, Junk tossed 4 ⅓ innings, allowing two runs (both in the third inning) on five hits, walking one and striking out one. "He selflessly came up to me and just broke down what he thought he saw, and I really appreciate that from him, just about his mentality and what went on in that one inning," Junk said. "That moment when two guys get on, base hit and you can feel it go in the other direction, I reflected back on what (Paddack) told me: 'just keep pitching with conviction and don't let up.' (Pitching coach Daniel Moskos) coming out, that was good mound visit, and then I was able to refocus and then get out of there with limited damage." Junk's fastball, which averaged around 93.6 mph in 2025, saw an increase in velocity, topping out at 96.5 mph, averaging a career-high 95.4 mph. His secondary stuff—specifically the slider and changeup—looked good, generating four whiffs each. He also induced a 53.8% ground ball rate, which was the third-highest of his Marlins tenure. "Overall, Junk was great," McCullough said. "The velo he had on the fastball and his ability to hold that velo from pitch one to roughly when he got to in the high 70s, it was nice. With that type of velo, throwing some two-seamers running in just keeps things open away for his breaking stuff. There's some good changeups and the crispness with some of his sliders that he threw with the type of velocity he had. Big spot there in the third and he got a few ground ball hits and they get a couple runs. But for him to leave some guys out there, keep the game where it was, a big part in the game." The Marlins offense was hitless through the first three innings. It wasn't until the fourth inning that they not only notched their first hit of the game, but took control of the game by rallying for four runs. Xavier Edwards got things going with a base hit, followed by a 105.4 mph double from Agustín Ramírez, moving Edwards to third. Liam Hicks, who has gotten off to a hot start this season, drove both of them with a double, tying the game, 2-2. Owen Caissie, another Marlins who has gotten off to a great start, drove Hicks in on an RBI single (and moved to second on the throw), taking a 3-2 lead. Heriberto Hernández extended the lead with an RBI single. In the bottom of the seventh, a Graham Pauley fielder's choice drove in Hernández and then Jakob Marsee drove Griffin Conine in on a sac fly, extending the lead to 6-2. In the bottom of the eighth, Conine hit his first home run of the season off of Jedixson Paez, a two-run homer. The ball left the bat at 107.3 mph and went 405 feet to right field. Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E CWS 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 5 3 MIA 0 0 0 4 0 0 2 3 - 9 9 0 With the win, the Marlins are now 4-1 on the season and will look to take their second straight series on Wednesday with Sandy Alcantara taking the mound for a 1:10 pm first pitch. View full article

Marlins right-hander Chris Paddack speaks with the media to assess his rough outing on Monday against the Chicago White Sox and how he expects to rebound from it. View full video

Hours after the Miami Marlins completed a series sweep of the Colorado Rockies, president of baseball operations Peter Bendix went right to work adding to his roster. The club announced on Sunday night that they've acquired infielder Leo Jiménez from the Toronto Blue Jays in exchange for infield prospect Dub Gleed and $250k in international bonus pool money. Francys Romero was first to report the full transaction. Jiménez, 24, played a total of 26 games during the 2025 minor league season where across three levels, he slashed .296/.404/.370/.774 with seven RBI and a 122 wRC+. He also saw 18 games at the big league level, but struggled, posting a -19 wRC+. Jiménez had a longer run in the majors in 2024, where in 63 games he slashed .229/.329/.358/.686 with four home runs, 19 RBI and a 101 wRC+. The 24-year-old right-handed hitter is a glove-first player. He spent most of his minor league career at shortstop, but also has played second base. The Blue Jays designated Jiménez for assignment prior to Opening Day because he is out of minor league options. As for Gleed, the Marlins selected him in the ninth round of the 2024 MLB Draft. In his first full professional season, he slashed .252/.391/.347/.737 with two home runs, 26 RBI and a 124 wRC+ with nearly as many walks (43) as strikeouts (48). Recently highlighted on an episode of Fish Unfiltered, he was set to begin this season with Double-A Pensacola. To clear a 40-man roster spot for Jiménez, the Marlins DFA'd right-handed reliever Garrett Acton. He made his organizational debut on Friday, working a scoreless inning for Triple-A Jacksonville. The Marlins will still need to make a corresponding 26-man move prior to Monday's game. View full article

Marlins catcher Liam Hicks speaks with the media following Saturday's game about catching Eury Pérez's quality start and mashing his first home run of the season. View full video

Marlins outfielder Owen Caissie speaks with the media following Saturday's game. Caissie has gone 4-for-8 at the plate with a clutch RBI single through his first two games of the season. View full video

Just called up by the Marlins on Saturday, first base prospect Deyvison De Los Santos speaks with the media about receiving the big news and developing a more mature approach over the past year. View full video

MIAMI, FL — Earlier this month, Liam Hicks and Owen Caissie were teammates on Team Canada during the World Baseball Classic, helping their country advance to the quarterfinals. On Saturday afternoon, they shared the field as Miami Marlins players for the first time and made a massive impact, combining to drive in four runs to defeat the Colorado Rockies, 4-3. Miami’s starting catcher for this game, Hicks’ sac fly in the bottom of the third inning tied the game early, 1-1. Hicks also hit the team’s first home run of the 2026 season, taking Rockies starter Michael Lorenzen deep for a two-run homer that re-tied the game, 3-3. Hicks, a former Rule 5 draft pick, played in 119 games last season where he slashed .247/.346/.346/.693 with six home runs, 45 RBI and a 98 wRC+. Prior to the game, McCullough was asked about Hicks, saying he "is going to have a really nice year." "Historically, he has always controlled the strike zone, makes a ton of contact and he moves the ball all around the field. I think we've seen him make a real commitment to moving faster, stronger and building a bigger engine. Now, the type of contact he's making, you get a little bit more output, pulling the ball in the air, trying to get to some power and don't think that's going to take away from his ability to hit. Think that there's a lot more untapped in Liam from an offensive perspective, and it starts with some really good ingredients under the hood." Fish On First (@fishonfirst) • Instagram photos and videos WWW.INSTAGRAM.COM 54 likes, 0 comments - fishonfirst on March 28, 2026: "Liam Hicks delivers the moment ?⚾data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAPABAP///wAAACH5BAEKAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAICRAEAOw==️... You couldn't ask for a better start to a Marlins career than the one Caissie has gotten off to, going 4-for-8 with two RBI and only two strikeouts. On Friday night, Caissie hit a 104.1 mph RBI double to get the Marlins on the board for the first time in 2026, and on Saturday, along with hitting a 111.7 mph double in the bottom of the second inning, Caissie drove in the Marlins go-ahead run in the bottom of the eighth inning. Scoring that run was Otto Lopez, also a member of Team Canada in the past World Baseball Classic. "I was swinging at pitches pretty outside and high," Caissie said. "I just called time, gathered my thoughts and just stuck with my plan of staying on the fastball and I got one. It was really just trying to move Otto over to third and it went up the middle instead." Caissie is already showing the power that he possesses, hitting three balls over 100 mph in just the first two games of the season. He was the centerpiece of the Edward Cabrera trade return and was coming off a season in Triple-A where he hit 22 home runs and posted a 139 wRC+. He is Fish On First’s No. 4 prospect, but will be graduating soon. Sandy Alcantara, who started on Opening Day, and Eury Pérez, who took the ball on Saturday, are the fourth pair of Marlins starters to open a season with back-to-back starts of at least seven innings. The others are: Josh Beckett and Brad Penny (April 6-7, 2004); Ryan Dempster and A.J. Burnett (April 2-3, 2002); and Kevin Brown and John Burkett (April 1-2, 1996). "Helping them shorten the game with how effectively they threw and early on now we got some relievers who are probably chomping at the bit to get in. We can save some innings and appearances from those guys right now. It's going to pay dividends as we continue to go along. I think the length they gave us, but the quality of that length as well." Pérez, who went seven innings, allowing three runs on five hits (two home runs), one walk and struck out eight. The 22-year-old's fastball hit 100 mph on four separate occasions, topping out at 100.4 mph. His fastball generated six total whiffs and five of the eight strikeouts came on that pitch. This offseason, Pérez added a sweeper, which he threw nine times, and generated four whiffs on that pitch, striking out Kyle Karros swinging in the top of the fifth inning. Overall, the young starter threw six different types of pitches, generating a whiff at least once on all of them. Last season, Pérez only completed seven innings once, which came on 7/13/25 against the Baltimore Orioles. With no restrictions now a year removed from undergoing and rehabbing from Tommy John surgery, Pérez was able to complete seven innings of work in his first start of the season. "This is going to be a very important year for me because there's no limits," Pérez said. "Higher pitch counts, working deeper into games and being able to help that bullpen. I take a lot of pride in that." For a second straight day, Pete Fairbanks came in to close things out, only needing to throw nine pitches. TJ Rumfield popped out, Ryan Ritter struck out swinging and Brenton Doyle flew out. Fairbanks fastball topped out at 98.1 mph and he struck Ritter with a cutter. Fairbanks became the second pitcher in Marlins history to record a save in each of his first two appearances with the club, joining Armando Benítez, who recorded a save in each of his first six appearances with the club from April 6-15, 2004. The undefeated Marlins have begun a season 2-0 for the first time since 2014. They will look for the series sweep against the Rockies on Sunday as Max Meyer will make his first start of the 2026 season, going opposite of left-handed starter José Quintana. Deyvison De Los Santos, who the Marlins called up after Christopher Morel landed on the 10-day IL, will make his MLB debut at first base. First pitch is at 1:40 p.m. View full article