Kevin Barral

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.

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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.

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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."

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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.

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MIAMI, FL — Just like last year, the Miami Marlins collected an Opening Day win, but Friday's game against the Colorado Rockies featured several players who are brand new to the organization.

Owen Caissie was not in the original Marlins starting lineup, but after Christopher Morel was scratched due to a left oblique strain, he became the designated hitter, with Connor Norby moving to first base.

"It happened like two or three hours before the game, so it wasn't that bad," Caissie said postgame. "I did my scouting report last night, so I was already ready, I guess, but it wasn't that bad. They did a good job of getting to me the information quick."

In the bottom of the second inning, Caissie drove in Xavier Edwards on a 104.1 mph RBI double to put the Marlins on the board.

Caissie, who the Marlins acquired as the centerpiece of the Edward Cabrera trade this offseason, participated in the 2026 World Baseball Classic, representing Team Canada. He slashed .412/.476/.765/1.241 during the tournament with one home run and five RBI.

"I did the WBC in 2023 and I felt so prepared for the season, because those games I played in had a lot of meaning," Caissie said. "(Opening Day) has the same environment, same feel as these, so helped a lot."

Marlins manager Clayton McCullough told the media postgame that Morel will be getting imaging on Saturday. More information on his status should be available then, but as Miami fans are well aware, oblique strains almost always result in trips to the injured list. Outfielder Esteury Ruiz, infielder Maximo Acosta and top pitching prospect Thomas White are currently sidelined with the same issue.

Just two days before the start of the season, the Marlins signed Austin Slater to a one-year major league deal, and on Friday, he was leading off and playing right field. In the top of the fourth inning, with a runner on second, Rockies catcher Hunter Goodman hit what many thought was an RBI single, but Slater was able to provide the Marlins with their first outfield assist of the season, dotting a 92.5 mph throw right to Agustín Ramírez to keep the game at 2-0.

Slater doing his best Dane Myers impression right there! pic.twitter.com/UTnbJij6r6

— Ely Sussman (@RealEly) March 28, 2026

With the Marlins leading 2-1, they brought in their most expensive free agent signing, Pete Fairbanks, to shut down the door. He first struck out Ezequiel Tovar swinging with his cutter, a pitch he added towards the end of the 2025 season. After surrendering a base hit to TJ Rumfield, Jordan Beck popped out and Brenton Doyle lined out to Otto Lopez.

This marked Fairbanks' first save as a member of the Marlins. It's also the first time that the Fish have won consecutive Opening Day games since the 2004 and 2005 seasons.

"I think especially coming to a new team, you want to make that good impression," Fairbanks said postgame. "Hopefully I've managed to do that over the past month and a half. I'd say locking down the first back-to-back Opening Day wins in 20 years is off to a good start."

Sandy Alcantara's sixth Opening Day start was the best of his career. He went seven innings, striking out five, walking three and allowed one (unearned) run on four hits. Alcantara's fastball topped out at 98.5 mph and generated 11 whiffs, with six of them coming on the changeup.

"It's always been a good pitch," Alcantara said postgame regarding his changeup. "It's a pitch that I can throw in any count because of the command. I think my best (secondary pitch) was my changeup. I just gotta trust it and keep it throwing it in the game."

Alcantara's changeup was responsible for three of the five strikeouts he recorded.

"Sandy was filling it up," said McCullough. "The ability to use his entire mix, sinker and velocity was really good, too. Changeup and his ability to spin breaking balls in there...He did a great job of mixing up his looks at first and controlling the running game, some things that he's worked hard on. This was a great first start to the year for Sandy to go that deep in the game, be that efficient and as well as to be able to execute at the rate he did today."

Alcantara was as efficient as you could've asked for, throwing 73 pitches, an average of barely 10 per inning. But McCullough noted that he maxed out at five "ups" during spring training, so stretching him beyond seven would've been pushing it. True to his nature, the 30-year-old workhorse was hoping to go back out there for the eighth.

"He took me out of the game and I gotta respect that decision—that is something I cannot control," Alcantara said.

Even so, this was tied for the second-longest Opening Day start in franchise history, trailing only Ryan Dempster in 2022 (7.1 IP).

The Marlins bullpen tossed two shutout innings, striking out four Rockies and not walking anyone. Andrew Nardi made his first appearance in a regular season game since 8/21/24. Anthony Bender had runners on the corners in the top of the eighth inning and struck out Willi Castro swinging. Fairbanks closed it out for the Fish to notch win number one of the season.

Eury Pérez will get the ball for the Marlins on Saturday, as he will go up against Michael Lorenzen. First pitch is at 4:10 pm.

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MIAMI, FL — The Miami Marlins defeated the Colorado Rockies on Friday without the services of Christopher Morel, who suffered a left oblique strain during pregame work. Fish On First can report that the Marlins are calling up Deyvison De Los Santos, their 28th-ranked prospect, to replace Morel on the active roster.

The latest update from Marlins manager Clayton McCullough postgame was that Morel will undergo imaging on Saturday, but in all likelihood, he will land on the 10-day injured list.

De Los Santos, 22, was acquired by the Marlins along with Andrew Pintar in 2024 when they sent A.J. Puk to the Arizona Diamondbacks. In his first full season with the organization, he slashed .240/.313/.359/.672 with 12 home runs, 54 RBI and an 85 wRC+. The positive is that De Los Santos struck out 22.4% of the time and walked 8.5% of the time, both improvements from his 2024 season.

De Los Santos impressed during the 2025-26 Dominican Winter League season. Then this spring, playing in seven games, he slashed .286/.333/.286/.616 with one RBI and struck out only three times in 14 plate appearances.

The Marlins optioned De Los Santos to Triple-A Jacksonville to begin the season. On Opening Day, he went 2-for-4 with a walk, a home run and three RBI. By recalling him so quickly, his option year has not been used up yet.

On Saturday, the Rockies are going with right-handed starting pitcher Michael Lorenzen. It is unlikely that De Los Santos, a right-handed hitter, finds himself in the lineup. But on Sunday, lefty José Quintana is scheduled to start for Colorado, so that matchup makes more sense for his major league debut.

First pitch on Saturday is at 4:10 pm.

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MIAMI, FL — On Thursday, the Miami Marlins announced their Opening Day roster for the 2026 season. Here are the 13 pitchers and 13 position players who will be active for Friday night's regular season opener against the Colorado Rockies:

Starting rotation

• Sandy Alcantara (starting Friday)
• Eury Pérez (Saturday)
• Max Meyer (Sunday)
• Chris Paddack (Monday) 
• Janson Junk (Tuesday)

For Alcantara, this will mark his franchise-leading sixth Opening Day start. His last one start was coming off of Tommy John surgery, where in 4 ⅔ innings of work, he surrendered two runs on two hits, walked four and struck out seven in what was a walk-off winner for the Fish.

This will be the first time that Pérez is included on the Marlins Opening Day roster. He broke through to the big leagues in the middle of the 2023 season. He missed all of 2024 after undergoing Tommy John, and in 2025, rehabbing from surgery kept him on the injured list until June.

In 20 starts last season, Pérez pitched to a 4.25 ERA and 3.67 FIP in 95 ⅓ innings pitched.

Meyer will be the team's third starter. He got off to an amazing start in 2025, posting a  2.10 ERA through his first five starts of the season. However, in his final seven starts before landing on the injured list with a left hip impingement which later required season-ending surgery, he posted a 7.10 ERA. This spring, the former first-round pick tossed seven shutout innings, striking out 12 in the process.

Last season between the Minnesota Twins and Detroit Tigers, Paddack had a 5.35 ERA and 5.03 FIP in a career-high 158 innings pitched. This spring, the 30-year-old made five spring training starts and allowed one earned run in 13 innings of work, while striking out 12. He will get the series opener against the Chicago White Sox.

Junk, who won the fifth spot in the rotation over Braxton Garrett (optioned to Triple-A), threw a pitch design session on Thursday at loanDepot park for his final tune-up. This spring, Junk dealt with a ankle injury that kept him out for a bit, but still made four starts, allowing 10 runs (nine earned), with most of those coming in his final start against the St. Louis Cardinals.

Bullpen

• Pete Fairbanks (closer) 
• Calvin Faucher
• Tyler Phillips
• Anthony Bender
• Andrew Nardi
• John King
• Lake Bachar
• Michael Petersen  

Petersen is the lone reliever who's making his first Opening Day roster. Acquired from the Atlanta Braves last season, he posted a 3.97 ERA in 11 ⅓ innings pitched for the Marlins. This spring, Petersen struck out seven in 8 ⅔ innings of work. He is likely will be used in lower-leverage situations, but the fastball, which has topped out at 100 mph, will be a big weapon this season.

This will mark Fairbanks' sixth Opening Day, but his first as a member of the Marlins. This spring, Fairbanks made six appearances, allowing just one hit and striking out eight in the process. John King, the second reliever Miami signed this offseason, quietly had a great spring, throwing eight innings of one-run ball, while striking out nine.

Position players

Catchers: Agustín Ramírez, Liam Hicks

Infielders: Christopher Morel, Connor Norby, Xavier Edwards, Javier Sanoja, Graham Pauley, Otto Lopez

Outfielders: Jakob Marsee, Austin Slater, Griffin Conine, Owen Caissie, Heriberto Hernández  

Ramírez was called up in April of last season and in 136 games, he slashed .231/.287/.413/.701 with 21 home runs, 67 RBI and a 91 wRC+. He participated in the World Baseball Classic, representing the Dominican Republic, so he only played in eight Grapefruit League games, collecting two hits.

Similar to Ramírez, Hernández did not make the Opening Day roster in 2025, but was called up soon after. He slashed .266/.347/.438/.784 with 10 home runs, 45 RBI and a 118 wRC+. The Marlins will likely make room in Friday's starting lineup for Hernández since lefty Kyle Freeland will get the start for the Rockies.

Norby missed Opening Day last season after suffering a left oblique strain. This season, he will play a combination of third base, first base and left field. Clayton McCullough told Fish On First that Javier Sanoja will be the starting third baseman on Friday. Norby had an encouraging spring, slashing .310/.326/.476/.802 with two home runs and three RBI.

Still prospect-eligible, Owen Caissie was acquired in the trade that sent Edward Cabrera to the Chicago Cubs. He spent some time in the World Baseball Classic for Canada, where he went 7-for-17 with a home run and five RBI. 

Injuries

Kyle Stowers and Esteury Ruiz were both expected to break camp with the team before suffering a right hamstring strain and left oblique strain, respectively. They will begin the season on the 10-day IL (retroactive to March 22). Stowers told the media on Thursday that he is progressing well. Ruiz will be out for 6-8 weeks and no recent update has been provided on him.

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Marlins right-hander Sandy Alcantara speaks with the media about his Opening Day routine and what would make Friday's start a success for him.

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MIAMI, FL — Less than 24 hours after it was reported that the Miami Marlins agreed to a one-year major league deal with right-handed hitting outfielder Austin Slater, he took the field for his new team in a workout at loanDepot park.

"Really excited to have Austin join our club," said Marlins manager Clayton McCullough on Wednesday. "Saw him for a number of years as an opponent and he'll bring a real high quality at-bat versus left, something that historically he's done. Expect him to start versus left, also be a real weapon off the bench versus left-handed relievers. He's got the ability to play very solid defense in the outfield as well. We think this really rounds out our roster nicely and provides myself with a lot of options, and someone that has done this for a very long time at a high level."

To add Slater to their 40-man roster, the Marlins placed starting pitcher Adam Mazur on the 60-day IL as he underwent Tommy John surgery earlier this month.

For his career against left-handed pitchers, Slater has slashed .267/.357/.430/.787 with 30 home runs and 112 RBI. With the White Sox, Slater did post a wRC+ of 100 (right at league average), but it was his Yankees tenure that dropped his overall wRC+ to 78 on the season. He owned a .726 OPS against left-handed pitching this past season between both organizations.

This offseason, Slater signed a minor league deal with the Detroit Tigers and in 15 spring training games, he slashed .267/.389/.467/.856 with one home run, four RBI and a 126 wRC+. Despite the strong spring, Slater was informed that he did not make the Tigers Opening Day roster and triggered his opt-out. Slater described the last couple days as "a lot of chaos."

"I was able to go home for a little bit, so that was nice and relaxing," Slater told the media. "See my son and my wife and my parents, kind of get re-grounded, and now it's time to go. Kind of a quick reset. Luckily, it wasn't too long. Still feel like I'm in baseball shape and ready to go."

Prior to the Slater signing, the Marlins player with the most MLB service time was Sandy Alcantara (seven years and 100 days). Pete Fairbanks, who the Marlins signed this offseason, was the oldest player on the roster at age 32. Slater now takes over as the team leader in both categories.

"Being on a young team and being able to help guys out in any way I can, whether it's tips or just mindset or whatever it might be, I find that really exciting," Slater said. "Then also just the opportunity to play and contribute on a big league team. Those were key factors, and I had a familiarity with (general manager) Gabe Kapler here and his time in San Francisco, and he helped me a ton in my career. I'm hoping to make some adjustments and keep going."

Defensively, Slater has always been either league average or just about league average in the outfield. Although he's been used most often in center field in the past, most of his time with the Marlins will be spent in the corner outfield spots, with Jakob Marsee handling center.

The Marlins are set to face two left-handed starters this weekend in Kyle Freeland (Friday) and José Quintana (Sunday). Slater is highly likely to be in the lineup for those matchups.

"I don't think we're going to need to ease him in," McCullough said. "He was in camp the whole time and had a few days off, but he'll have a chance today to get a little bit of work, moving around some today and tomorrow. He will have the chance to get some work and get some at-bats, and he'll be ready for Friday."

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New Marlins outfielder Austin Slater and manager Clayton McCullough talk with the media about Slater's one-year free agent deal and roster fit.

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MIAMI, FL — At one point, Andrew Nardi "did not see the light at the end of the tunnel." Lower back inflammation took away not only his entire 2025 season, but prevented him from doing "normal life stuff" without experiencing pain. But after an impressive showing in spring training, the left-handed reliever will find himself back on the Miami Marlins 26-man active roster for Opening Day.

"Seeing last year the difficulty he went through, did everything he could to try to get back, and there were times when it was just hard to pinpoint what was going on," said manager Clayton McCullough. "(Physical therapist) Mike Chamberlain deserves a lot of credit as well. Him and Nardi kept trying to find a way to figure this thing out. I think our excitement grew as spring training begun because he started to hit some markers that he hadn't hit. He was able to throw more regularly."

The 2025 season, which saw the Marlins win 79 games and remain in the National League Wild Card race up until the very end, was a very tough one for Nardi. He had to watch it all unfold from the dugout. There were low points when he couldn't even put his socks on. Early in the 2025-26 offseason, the Marlins had enough doubts about his recovery that they reportedly considered non-tendering him.

"I was struggling, but I stayed positive as much as possible and kept grinding through it," Nardi told Fish On First. "Thankfully, took a turn."

It wasn't until the 27-year-old started doing pilates that he noticed a change. Then, one of his buddies recommended posture restoration, which is a specialized physical therapy approach that identifies and corrects common, asymmetrical postural patterns caused by habit, muscle imbalance, and uneven neurological function.

"From the first one, I just felt decompression in my spine for the first time in almost a year," Nardi said. "That definitely got the ball rolling and eventually, got my body to just trust the process and trust itself more." Part of maintaining his physical health is doing posture exercises three times a day.

Nardi still entered 2026 with some ongoing discomfort. It wasn't until early February that he started to feel better, then his timeline was pushed back again due to a blood blister on his left hand. The first couple pitch design and live batting practice sessions hadn't lived up to what he expected, with his fastball velocity sitting in the high 80s, but in his first Grapefruit League outing on March 10, he struck out the side, averaging 93.8 mph and topping out at 94.6 mph.

"It was the first time in a while where I had some jitters going, so I was definitely super excited," Nardi said.

Nardi would finish spring training tossing 5 ⅓ shutout innings, allowing just one hit, which came in his second outing. He struck out nine total against three walks, and he only surrendered a hard-hit rate of 28.6%. It came down to the final days of camp, but on Sunday, right before the final spring game, the Marlins announced that they optioned Cade Gibson (the other lefty competing for a spot) to Triple-A and reassigned Tyler Zuber to minor league camp.

 

Nardi's goal this upcoming season is to "go back to my 2023 self," which consisted of a 2.67 ERA, 3.60 FIP, 11.46 K/9 and 3.30 BB/9 in 57 ⅓ innings pitched. He was especially successful when coming into games with inherited runners that season, but struggled with that in 2024.

"We will try to be judicious with these back-to-backs early on in the season," McCullough said regarding the bullpen in general. "We'll see how (Nardi) feels after. It's going to be different the first time he gets into a major league game again and expend some of that energy. Andrew is a healthy pitcher that we'll have to go post, but also, like him and the others, will always read and react with what information they're telling us, how they're recovering to then help guide us to availability."

Along with John King, Nardi will be one of two left-handed pitchers in Miami's bullpen for the time being. Last season, Marlins lefty relievers combined for only 107 innings pitched, the fifth-lowest total in the majors.

"Having a couple of them, some battle-tested, high quality left-handed pitchers to go in and help us get out of a particular jam against a left handed hitter or a particular part of the lineup that it's more advantageous to have them? Sure, I think that's great," McCullough said. "But it's just as important—or more—that they're just two really good pitchers that give our bullpen a lot of depth and flexibility."

The Marlins will have two more workout days at loanDepot park before their highly anticipated Opening Day matchup against the Colorado Rockies on Friday at 7:10 p.m.

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In the aftermath of losing both Kyle Stowers and Esteury Ruiz to injuries, the Miami Marlins are in agreement with right-handed-hitting outfielder Austin Slater, Craig Mish of SportsGrid reported on Tuesday. It is a one-year major league free agent deal, which the club has yet to confirm. Sources tell Fish On First that Slater is guaranteed $1 million and can earn more through performance bonuses.

Slater, 33, spent the 2025 season with the Chicago White Sox and New York Yankees. Between those two teams, he slashed .216/.270/.372/.642 with five home runs, 13 RBI and a 78 wRC+. Before being dealt to the Yankees at the trade deadline, Slater posted a 100 wRC+ (right at league average), but then his production took a major dip, with a hamstring injury limited his availability down the stretch.

This offseason, Slater signed a minor league deal with the Detroit Tigers. In 15 spring training games, he posted a 126 wRC+, but did not make the club and instead triggered his opt-out.

With Ruiz expected to miss 6-8 weeks with an oblique strain, the Marlins had several internal options, including fellow righty outfielders Andrew Pintar and Kemp Alderman. Instead, they'll turn to a veteran entering his 10th MLB season who becomes the oldest player on their 40-man roster.

Despite the struggles this past season, Slater has a lifetime OPS of .787 against left-handed pitching. The Marlins will face two left-handed starters this weekend in Kyle Freeland on Opening Day and José Quintana on Sunday. Expect Slater to start both of those games.

Slater is mainly a corner outfielder at this stage of his career, but he does have more career games in center field (235) than any other position.

There is a notable connection between Slater and Marlins. Current general manager Gabe Kapler was the manager of the San Francisco Giants from 2020-23. Slater played for him throughout that period and enjoyed the best seasons of his career.

The most likely corresponding roster move to add Slater to Miami's 40-man roster and 26-man active roster will be to place starting pitcher Adam Mazur on the 60-day injured list, as he underwent season-ending Tommy John surgery earlier this month.

Once official, this will be the Marlins' fifth major league free agent signing of the 2025-26 offseason. The others were Pete Fairbanks, Chris Paddack, Christopher Morel and John King.

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WEST PALM BEACH, FL — The Miami Marlins announced on Friday that their starting rotation will consist of right-handed pitchers Sandy Alcantara, Eury Pérez, Max Meyer, Chris Paddack and Janson Junk. Less than a week away from Opening Day, the bullpen situation is not as settled.

The current locks are Pete Fairbanks, John King, Calvin Faucher, Anthony Bender and Tyler Phillips. Beyond those names, there are three open spots. The names in contention are left-handers Cade Gibson and Andrew Nardi along with right-handed pitchers Michael Petersen, Lake Bachar and Tyler Zuber (a non-roster invitee).

The Marlins will wind up using all of them over the course of the 2026 season. Determining who breaks camp with the big league club will be influenced by who can be relied on most to provide quality length.

"Trying to get as many members down in that bullpen that potentially would break with us into a spot where they can go multiple innings—they can go the 40-50 pitch range, if needed from them," said manager Clayton McCullough on Friday. "We feel like we're not there yet. We still have some decisions to be made here at the end with some, but we feel like that of those remaining in that mix for our 'pen, that we have a high number of them that are going to give us that type of ability to go multiple innings."

Gibson, Bachar and Petersen all threw in West Palm Beach on Friday, while Nardi threw in Jupiter.

Gibson struggled, unable to complete an inning, allowing two runs on three hits while recording one walk and one strikeout. Bachar, who followed Gibson, threw an inning, striking out two. The righty's fastball topped out at 96.0 mph and averaged 95.5 mph (both personal bests for him during spring training). Both strikeouts came on his slider, which generated two whiffs. Petersen struggled as well, going one inning, walking two and striking out one.

"(Gibson) and (Petersen) ran into some traffic, but fought through it," said Marlins bench coach Carson Vitale following the game. "Thought they did a nice job. Lake was good tonight. It's kind of the best version we've seen of him this spring. The velo was up, the strike zone was up, the two-k execution was really good. All three of them did a nice job tonight, but Lake stood out for sure."

As for Nardi in Jupiter, he went one scoreless inning, walking and striking out one.

"Very encouraging," McCullough said. "I think we were optimistic coming into camp, not sure maybe what type of version we'd get. As the camp's gone along, he's handled everything that we've thrown at him. He's filled up the strike zone, breaking balls have been good and we're seeing the life of his fastball come back as he goes along."

In 4 ⅓ innings of work this spring, Nardi has allowed just one hit in the process and struck out seven against two walks. He is making a strong case for the roster, but he was behind schedule compared to the other pitchers due to a blood blister issue. That may be used as a tiebreaker, giving the Marlins a reason to initially build him up in Triple-A Jacksonville.

The Marlins' Grapefruit League finale will be Sunday afternoon against the New York Mets. However, they will have a series of team workouts at loanDepot park from March 24-26, allowing them to gather even more information about these relievers if necessary.

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JUPITER, FL - On Friday, the Miami Marlins announced that left-handed pitcher Braxton Garrett has been optioned to Triple-A Jacksonville. Janson Junk will round out the Marlins rotation as the fifth starter.

"I will say that it was very difficult, and in some ways it's a good thing that it was so difficult," Marlins manager Clayton McCullough told the media. "It means that a high number of our potential starters that came into this camp, outside of Adam (Mazur), have stayed healthy, and they've performed well. We like where a lot of our guys are at. (Braxton) has worked his butt off to get back. He's put in a lot of time to get himself healthy, was throwing the ball well this spring and just felt like to start the year that we had a five that I wanted to go with."

Garrett, who is returning from Tommy John surgery, made two Grapefruit League starts. After a shaky first one, surrendering two runs on one hit and walking two, he bounced back against Team Israel where in three shutout innings of work, he struck out two.

The Marlins never saw Garrett in the bullpen, so it'll allow him to continue building up as a starting pitcher. One caveat is that in Triple-A, it is typically a six-man rotation, so that is something "that will be discussed," per McCullough.

"There will also be a number of individuals there that we see as potential bulk options that might not be starting who also need to stay stretched out," McCullough said. "I actually look at this as a good problem to have."

Garrett has one minor league option remaining, which will be used up if he spends at least 20 days in the minors this season.

It'll be an all right-handed rotation to begin the season with Sandy Alcantara, Eury Pérez, Max Meyer, Chris Paddack and Janson Junk. Meyer will throw in a sim-game on Tuesday to begin his final build-up and both Paddack and Junk will pitch in Miami before Opening Day on Friday.

"Janson (Junk) deserves a chance to be in our rotation to start the season," McCullough said. "Max Meyer as well. I think this move today adds some clarity as to where we're at with starting the year with Sandy, Eury, Max, Paddack and Janson in the rotation. As much that we think Janson can start, if we get to a point where performance or things dictate that we pivot, then we will. That's how I've kind of seen this spring play out."

It's a split-squad day for the Marlins on Friday, with Paddack starting in Jupiter (7:10 p.m. first pitch) and Pérez starting in West Palm Beach (6:05 p.m.).

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A week away from Miami Marlins Opening Day, the roster battles are finally getting settled. AJ Ramos, Kevin Barral and Ely Sussman react to the news of Janson Junk earning a starting rotation spot at the expense of Braxton Garrett, who's been optioned to Triple-A Jacksonville. They also discuss the importance of the Jupiter Academy's recent renovations and AJ's memories of making his first career Opening Day roster in 2013. 

You can find Fish Unfiltered and Fish On First LIVE on the Fish On First YouTube channel, Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever else you get your pods.

Garrett, 28, has one minor league option remaining, while the 30-year-old Junk is out of options. Junk is scheduled to make his final Grapefruit League start on Saturday afternoon against the St. Louis Cardinals. 

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On the most recent Fish Unfiltered, one of my five bold predictions was that Miami Marlins second baseman Xavier Edwards will win the National League batting title. He's looking to join Hanley Ramírez (2009), Dee Strange-Gordon and Luis Arraez (2023) as the only Marlins players to achieve that.

The 2025 NL batting title champ was Trea Turner, who posted a .304 batting average in 141 games. Edwards finished 11th among qualified hitters and slashed .283/.343/.353/.695 overall with three home runs, 43 RBI, 27 stolen bases and a 95 wRC+. Entering his second full-length MLB season, I see the potential for him to improve.

Edwards will likely continue to lead off for the Marlins. He puts immediate pressure on opposing defenses because he puts the ball in play a lot, as reflected in his 14.2% strikeout rate in 2025, which was 12th-lowest in the NL.

Combining his contact skill with his 75th-percentile sprint speed, it makes sense that Edwards was tied for fourth in MLB last season with 33 infield hits. He is an outstanding bunter and that's a weapon he should consider using more often to break out of slumps like the ones he experienced at the beginning and end of 2025.

When it comes to the mental side of the game, it should help Edwards that he is now a full-time second baseman. He opened 2025 as the Marlins starting shortstop, even though it was clear he was overmatched. Not surprisingly, his defensive struggles negatively impacted his all-around performance. He batted only .263 at SS, but .291 following the transition to 2B. After being a Gold Glove finalist at the position, he can fully focus on his work at the plate.

Although Edwards is a switch-hitter, he had large platoon splits last season—he was great against right-handed pitching (.306/.368/.391/.758), but disappointing against lefties (.236/.289/.275/.564). All indications are that he will get everyday starts for the foreseeable future. However, if it's more of the same from him during the first half of 2026, the Marlins may eventually limit his exposure to LHP, which could boost his overall average while still getting him enough plate appearances to be a qualified hitter.

Turner's .304 mark was unusually low for a batting champ. In predicting Edwards to win the title this season, I'm counting on him to finish somewhere above .310.

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Following Thursday's Spring Breakout game, Marlins acting manager Jeff Conine and pitching prospects Karson Milbrandt and Aiden May speak about the experience.

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WEST PALM BEACH, FL—For the first time since the inception of MLB's Spring Breakout prospect showcase, the Miami Marlins had to leave the friendly confines of Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium. Their top farmhands traveled 15 minutes south to West Palm Beach on Thursday afternoon to face the Houston Astros prospects.

"This is the future of our organization," said acting manager Jeff Conine following the game. "They are a bunch of good kids, work hard and I think on the pitching side we just didn't have it today in the strike zone, but we gave them a good effort."

Here are the takeaways from the 7-6 loss.

Mr. Marlin the skipper

Jeff Conine, who is a special assistant to Marlins chairman and principal owner Bruce Sherman, was the acting manager for the game after Juan Pierre assumed the role in 2025. Although rumored as a managerial candidate in the past, this opportunity arrived unexpectedly. Conine enjoyed the afternoon, but the Marlins Legends Hall of Famer is content with where he is.

“This is a one-and-done,” Conine said. “Unless they ask me to do this again next year.”

Milbrandt dominant in start

Karson Milbrandt, who is Fish On First’s 13th prospect, went three innings, striking out six (all swinging). His fastball velocity topped out at 97.1 mph and averaged 95.6 mph.

Milbrandt executed his strategy perfectly, elevating heaters and burying his breaking stuff, including his relatively new gyro slider, which he developed quickly last season. It has emerged as his best pitch.

Milbrandt's slider generated five whiffs and recorded three strikeouts. His first slider strikeout victim was Astros No. 5 prospect Walker Janek.

"It's quickly become one of my favorite pitches," Milbrandt said. "I like to throw it a lot. Today the feel was a little bit off, but the movement was good, so looking forward to getting that pat down."

A slight lapse in control aside, Milbrandt looked fantastic.

Multi-hit day for Alderman

Starting designated hitter Kemp Alderman (FOF #10 prospect) went 2-for-3 on Thursday. His single was clocked at an 87.4 mph exit velocity into center field. In the top of the fourth inning, Alderman singled again to drive in Starlyn Caba and Dillon Lewis, extending the Marlins' lead to 6-1.

Last season between Double-A and Triple-A, Alderman slashed .285/.338/.482/.819 with 22 home runs, 70 RBI, 22 stolen bases and a 135 wRC+. He was named the 2025 Marlins Minor League Player of the Year. This spring, Alderman was with the big league club, and in 11 Grapefruit League games, he went 4-for-24 with one home run. He was reassigned to minor league camp on March 15.

As Alderman rounds out his development in the minor leagues and matriculates to the big leagues, a major focus will be put on his ability to continue to limit strikeouts and boost his walk rate. If both of those factors work out in the 6’3”, 200-pounder’s favor, he could reach a fairly high ceiling as a four-tool threat. A righty-hitting outfielder, Alderman could fill a need for the Marlins sooner rather than later. He will be a name to follow closely as he starts the season with Triple-A Jacksonville. 

Mack continues to impress behind the plate

Second-ranked prospect Joe Mack went 1-for-3 at the plate, but it was what he did defensively that impressed. In the bottom of the first inning, with Milbrandt on the mound, Mack threw out Astros top prospect Kevin Alvarez trying to steal second.

"Joe Mack is polished back there," Conine said following the game. "You see the way he commands the strike zone with his framing and his release down to second base and his discipline at the plate. He's close, very close."

In nine spring training games with the big league team, Mack went 3-for-24 with one home run and four RBI. The Marlins optioned Mack to Jacksonville on March 15. He slashed .257/.338/.475/.813 with 21 home runs, 58 RBI and a 120 wRC+ between AA and AAA.

Walks, then walk-off

Overall, it was a rough afternoon for Marlins’ pitching control-wise. As a unit, Miami’s hurlers issued an astounding 18 walks. For context, Miami affiliates had just one game with 16+ walks in 2025; it was a 22-walk game by the Jupiter Hammerheads on April 8 which broke MiLB records.

Aiden May stranded the bases loaded in both of his innings. The Marlins also stranded the tying run in scoring position in the eighth.

Their early lead held up until the bottom of the ninth. Cannon Pickell walked two and allowed a single to load the bases once again for Caden Powell, who walked it off for the Astros.

 

Final pitching lines

• Karson Milbrandt: 3.0 IP, 0 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 6 SO
• Aiden May: 2.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 5 BB, 3 SO
• Hayden Cuthbertson: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 SO
• Grant Shepardson: 0.2 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 4 BB, 1 SO
• Jake Clemente: 1.0 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 3 SO
• Cannon Pickell: 0.2 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 1 SO

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MIAMI, FL — Although Italy was eliminated by Venezuela in the semifinal round of the World Baseball Classic on Monday night, this tournament was definitely a successful step for the country. This was the furthest that Italy has ever advanced in the WBC, a run that included five consecutive wins and an upset of Team USA during pool play. Miami Marlins outfielder Jakob Marsee was able to soak it all in as their starting center fielder.

Marsee, who was participating in his first WBC, has grandparents of Italian descent on both sides of his family, which made him eligible to participate.

"It's been amazing," Marsee told Fish On First prior to Monday's game. "The atmosphere has been electric everywhere I've been. We've been the away team most of the time wherever we've gone, but it's been a lot of fun playing in these packed crowds. We're making a lot of noise early, and getting to play baseball that means something this early is a lot of fun."

Heading into the 2026 season, the Marlins have one of Major League Baseball's youngest rosters. Every hitter on their 40-man roster is still in their 20s (Marsee is 24), and even their coaching staff has very limited MLB playing experience. That's why in the two weeks he spent around Team Italy, Marsee found it valuable to speak with veterans like Jon Berti and Vinnie Pasquantino.

"They've been around and they're successful at what they do. I wanna play this game a long time and try to find out what makes them click each year."

The Italian club was managed by Francisco Cervelli, who himself spent 13 seasons in the majors. The former catcher's final season as a player came with the 2020 Marlins.

"Jakob is one of our best players, and I've known that from the start," Cervelli said pregame. "He’s someone who wants to play every day no matter what. I've tried to give him a day off his feet and put him in as the designated hitter, but he doesn’t want that—he wants to play center field. He has truly impressed me, and I think the Marlins have a future star."

Marsee's insistence on remaining in center field paid off in the top of the first inning against Venezuela. With one out and Maikel Garcia on first base, Luis Arraez lined out to Marsee, who noticed Garcia was nearly all the way down to second. Marsee fired a 90.5 mph throw to Pasquantino to turn an inning-ending double play.

It marked Marsee’s second outfield assist of the tournament, both coincidentally with Aaron Nola on the mound.

In six WBC games, Marsee posted a .174/.345/.217 slash line. His five walks were tied for the second-highest total on the team.

Marsee will return to Marlins spring training camp on Wednesday, according to manager Clayton McCullough.

In the meantime, Tuesday’s WBC championship game is set between the United States and Venezuela. Nolan McLean (New York Mets) will start for Team USA, while Venezuela will go with veteran left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez (Arizona Diamondbacks). With a Venezuelan victory, Javier Sanoja would join Giancarlo Stanton and Christian Yelich (2017) as the only Marlins players to ever win a WBC title. First pitch will be shortly after 8:00 p.m. ET.

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Sandy Alcantara will take the mound on Wednesday for the Dominican Republic against Venezuela. Although both the Dominican Republic and Venezuela have already clinched spots in the quarterfinal round of the World Baseball Classic, Wednesday’s matchup will determine the winner of Pool D and who finishes in second place. The runner-up will face Shohei Ohtani and Team Japan on Saturday at 9:00 p.m. ET.

On Monday, Alcantara met with national media ahead of his start. It will mark his second career World Baseball Classic start—both coming against Venezuela. In 2023, the matchup served as the tournament’s opening game, but this time the stakes are higher with seeding implications.

In that 2023 outing, Alcantara pitched 3 ⅔ innings, allowing three runs on five hits—including one home run—while issuing three walks and striking out two.

“I don’t think it’s a revenge game because this is a short tournament,” Alcantara said. “This tournament is about winning or losing. We gave everything we had and things didn’t go the way we wanted, but on Wednesday we’ll have the opportunity to give it our all. I just need to go out there and battle from the first pitch on and upwards."

Last season marked the 30-year-old’s first year back after undergoing Tommy John surgery. He posted a 5.36 ERA, 4.28 FIP, and 7.32 K/9 across 174 ⅔ innings pitched. However, his second half was much more Sandy-like, as he recorded a 3.33 ERA over his final 13 starts. The Dominican Republic will hope Alcantara can replicate that solid second half on Wednesday. 

Through two spring training starts this year, Alcantara has allowed three runs across four innings, which all came in his first outing. In his most recent tune-up before joining the Dominican squad, he tossed three perfect innings while striking out four.

This will be the biggest pool game of the World Baseball Classic, and it's already sold out in Miami. In 2023, the Dominican Republic fell to Venezuela by a final score of 5-1. Many fans have called this a rivalry and plenty of storylines are being created, but Alcantara does not see it that way.

“The fans can go fight each other as much as they'd like, and there will always be controversies about how players get along with each other and whether there is good sportsmanship,” Alcantara said. “On our end, we’re good. All this talk about a revenge game—I think there’s a lot of talk on social media, with Venezuelan fans saying things to Dominican fans and vice versa. Let them say what they want. We are here to compete and represent our country, which is what we want to do the most.”

As previously noted, this will mark the second time Alcantara pitches not only in the World Baseball Classic, but against Venezuela in this environment that held 35,890 fans in 2023. Alcantara referred to the saying, "the past is the past" and that they are not interested in that game when it comes to his 2023 outing against Venezuela.

“This year we are focused on one goal, which is to win,” Alcantara said. “We have good vibes, and every guy on this team is helping in a positive way. (Juan) Soto, (Manny) Machado, (Vladimir) Guerrero Jr., and (Junior) Caminero are all extremely excited and emotional. When it comes to the pitching, we’re doing a great job. The focus for us this year is to do better than the last Classic, and I think everything will be possible if we put God ahead of everything.”

Along with Alcantara, his Marlins teammate Agustín Ramírez is also on the Dominican Republic roster, but it will be New York Yankees catcher Austin Wells who will be catching Alcantara on Wednesday. Ramirez's lone start of the World Baseball Classic may very well have been Monday's game against Israel where he went 1-for-4 with an RBI.

"Wells will play against Venezuela," Dominican Republic manager Albert Pujols told reporters on Monday. "They all knew that was going to be the case and that is how it was communicated. The plan for Ramírez was to have him start this game and he knew he was going to start this game. Wells could've gone 4-4 with four home runs, and he still would've had the day off today."

Who Alcantara will go toe-to-toe with is still uncertain, but Eduardo Rodriguez has still yet to pitch, so he can be a potential option for manager Omar Lopez's club. First pitch is scheduled for 8:00 pm and the game can be streamed on FS1.

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MIAMI, FL—For a second straight day, a Miami Marlin has homered in the World Baseball Classic. On Friday, it was from an unexpected source: Venezuela's Javier Sanoja. On Saturday, a more traditional power hitter did the honors. Canada's Owen Caissie hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the second inning off of Colombia pitcher Austin Bergner.

"Give the boys a little push start. It never really hurts. And really just get on the board first in these tournaments really matters," Caissie said following the game.

Caissie hit it 403 feet with an exit velocity of 99.7 mph.

Otto Lopez started alongside Caissie, hitting fifth and playing shortstop. Lopez went 0-for-3 and worked a walk. In the bottom of the third inning, he was hit by a pitch in the right wrist area, but remained in for the rest of the game.

Canada defeated Colombia by a final score of 8-2.

Jakob Marsee and Italy played their first game of the tournament, defeating Brazil by a final score of 8-0. Marsee, who led off and played center field, went 0-for-4, working a walk and scoring a run.

In Great Britain's second game, Ian Lewis Jr. went 0-for-2 with a walk in their 9-1 loss against the United States. Team USA starter Tarik Skubal struck Lewis out. The 23-year-old Bahamian continues to be used at shortstop.

Entering Sunday's slate, the only Marlins on WBC rosters who have not appeared in games are Sandy Alcantara (Dominican Republic), Agustín Ramírez (Dominican Republic) and Liam Hicks (Canada).

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MIAMI, FL—Earlier this year, Javier Sanoja wasn't even projected to be on Venezuela's World Baseball Classic roster. When he was ultimately selected, it was only with the idea of him being a versatile bench piece. However, an opportunity to start suddenly presented itself when Jackson Chourio was hit by a pitch in Wednesday's exhibition game against the Washington Nationals. The night before Venezuela's opening game against the Netherlands, manager Omar Lopez informed Sanoja that he would be starting in center field, hitting eighth in the lineup.

The undersized utility player ended up taking one of the most important at-bats of Friday's game. On the first pitch he saw from Antwone Kelly (Pittsburgh Pirates No. 9 prospect per MLB Pipeline), Sanoja went deep 370 feet to left field, retaking the lead for Venezuela in the bottom of the second inning.

According to MLB researcher Sarah Langs, Sanoja joined former Marlin Luis Arraez (2023) as the only two MLB players to homer in their current team's home ballpark during the WBC.

Sanoja played the entire game, going 2-for-4 at the plate. Venezuela held that lead the rest of the way, winning 6-2.

Javier Sanoja's Go-Ahead Homer Leads Venezuela To Victory Over The Netherlands - MLB - DiamondCentric

DIAMONDCENTRIC.NET

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It was all about Venezuela's offense in the first pool play game against the Netherlands.

It was also a day to remember for three other members of the Marlins organization.

Representing Cuba in Pool A, Yiddi Cappe took on FIU alum Logan Allen and Panama. Cappe started at second base and hit ninth in the lineup. He finished the day going 1-for-2 with a walk. His lone hit of the game was off of Allen in the top of the third inning, a 103.9 mph double to left field, which set up a two-run homer by third baseman Yoan Moncada.

Cuba would wind up winning by a final score of 3-1.

Ian Lewis Jr., who is from the Bahamas, is able to participate for Great Britain because the Bahamas remains part of the Commonwealth of Nations. Even with the help of Bahamian talent, the team's roster is pretty thin compared to most others in the WBC, so despite being an unranked Marlins prospect, Lewis has a significant role.

In his WBC debut against Mexico, Lewis went 2-for-4, both singles. His first base hit was off of Brennan Bernardino in the bottom of the fifth inning at 103.9 mph. In the bottom of the ninth, Lewis did the same thing against Seattle Mariners All-Star closer Andrés Muñoz.

Lewis was one of three players on Great Britain who had a multi-hit day. Unfortunately, they fell to Mexico by a final score of 8-2.

Opposing the Brits, Jared Serna did not start the game for Mexico, but entered in the top of the ninth inning as a pinch-runner. He came around to score an insurance run in the game.

The following Marlins players haven't seen any action yet, but are expected to make their tournament debut in the coming days:

• RHP Sandy Alcantara (Dominican Republic) 
• OF Owen Caissie (Canada) 
• C Liam Hicks (Canada)
• SS Otto Lopez (Canada)
• OF Jakob Marsee (Italy)
• C Agustin Ramirez (Dominican Republic)

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More than two weeks into spring training, Miami Marlins outfielder Esteury Ruiz has recorded only two hits. Overall, though, he has still made a positive impression on his new organization.

"One of the more important things for me is to get on base so that way I can show my talent with my speed and baserunning," Ruiz told Fish On First earlier this spring.

From that standpoint, the 27-year-old journeyman is thriving. Through seven Grapefruit League games, he owns a .381 on-base percentage with a team-leading four stolen bases.

"It's real game-changing, elite speed and that's something that can really be weaponized at various points in the game, whether he's starting or something within a game, to be able to have someone that has that type of game-changing ability on the bases," Marlins manager Clayton McCullough said following Ruiz's spring debut on February 22. "He's been a performer in the major leagues in the past, and he's been a very good upper-level minor league player. Offensively, there's more in there. This guy can defend, and he can really run. There's some sneaky impact in his bat for someone his size. He really brings a nice dynamic, and a lot of ways that can impact a roster."

The Marlins acquired Ruiz from the Los Angeles Dodgers in an offseason trade, sending pitching prospect Adriano Marrero the other way. He spent most of the 2025 season with Triple-A Oklahoma City, where he slashed .304/.412/.511/.923 with 16 home runs, 61 RBI, 63 stolen bases and a 137 wRC+.

Ruiz mentioned how his batting stance was one of the big keys to his success at the minor league level, including standing more upright in the box.

Ruiz is one of two right-handed-hitting outfielders on the Marlins 40-man roster, with Heriberto Hernández being the other. His handedness, speed and center field experience make him a potential contributor in the big leagues, but so far in his MLB career, he only has a .296 OBP. That's why it is encouraging to see such a disciplined approach from him this spring. He entered Saturday with an incredibly low 6.1% chase rate.

It might take a red-hot finish to the spring or an outfield injury to fit Ruiz onto the Marlins Opening Day roster. Fortunately, he has one minor league option remaining for the club to use if needed.

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JUPITER, FL—Tuesday's slate of spring training exhibition games looked much different than usual. Most matchups featured a major league team facing a World Baseball Classic team, with the international tournament kicking off later this week. At Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium, the Miami Marlins hosted Team Israel. Israel won, 1-0.

"I think it's great for baseball," said Marlins manager Clayton McCullough.  "It shines a real light on our sport on a global stage...It will be different, a little nice change of pace in spring training, from seeing the Cardinals, Mets, Astros and Nationals like we do—it seems like every day—to seeing someone else, but I hope we've provided them a welcoming environment as they get ready for the tournament to begin."

Neither of the starting lineups on Tuesday were at full strength. Israel did not include major leaguers Matt Mervis, Harrison Bader and Spencer Horwitz, who will be crucial for them to advance past the pool play stage. Their starters against the Marlins included WBC veteran Garrett Stubbs and prospects C.J. Stubbs, Zach Levenson, RJ Schreck.

"We'll want to get some at-bats and innings on the mound," said Israel's manager Brad Ausmus. "It also gives us the opportunity to see some of these guys that we have not seen as a coaching staff. As a manager, we're aware of what they've done, but we haven't necessarily put eyes on them. It's an opportunity for them and it's opportunity for us."

Marlins trotted out Braxton Garrett to make his second start of the spring, going two shutout innings, walking one and striking out one. His fastball topped out at 92.6 mph and of the 26 pitches he threw, 16 were for strikes.

"A lot more strikes than last time, especially to start," Garrett said following his start. "Obviously the one walk, but really pounded the zone with everything, minus the changeup. But we'll work on the on the changeup here this week."

Daniel Moskos is entering his second season as Marlins pitching coach, but because Garrett spent all of 2025 rehabbing from Tommy John surgery, that has been "a little bit of an adjustment" for him.

"I'm not used to having such a big area to look at in the zone," Garrett said. "They're really encouraging me, telling me how good my stuff is and how good it is in the zone, and to not be so picky about where it is. We're not trying to throw everything right down the middle, but we're not trying to throw everything right on the black, either."

Quick notes

- In addition to Garrett, the following Marlins pitchers threw against Israel: Pete Fairbanks, Calvin Faucher, Dax Fulton, Bradley Blalock, Cade Gibson and Zach Brzykcy.

- Garrett Stubbs drove in the game's only run in the top of the fourth inning with an RBI triple off of Faucher.

- The first round of cuts from Marlins big league camp included Thomas White, Stephen Jones, Evan McKendry, Patrick Monteverde, Dale Stanavich, Samy Vásquez and Sam Praytor. There are 64 players remaining in camp.

- Michael Petersen, who was expected to pitch for Great Britain in the WBC, will be staying back in camp instead to try to win one of the bullpen spots.

What's next?

The Marlins are off on Wednesday after 11 consecutive days of exhibition games, but they will be back in action on Thursday in Jupiter as they welcome the Houston Astros. In his final tune-up for the WBC, Sandy Alcantara is scheduled to go three innings against Tatsuya Imai. First pitch is at 1:10 pm.

Clayton McCullough told reporters that Alcantara will have a limit of about 65 pitches in his March 11 start against Venezuela. It is undecided if he will make another WBC start after that should the Dominican Republic make a deep tournament run. "We will cross that bridge when we get there," said McCullough.

Robby Snelling is expected to make a multi-inning relief appearance on Thursday. Eury Pérez will also throw that day, but on the backfields.

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Spring training seems to fly by faster than usual in World Baseball Classic years. The Miami Marlins have already completed 10 Grapefruit League games, sent off some of their key players to participate in the tournament and made their first round of cuts from major league camp. Although injuries have popped up as they always do, the Marlins fortunately haven't had serious issues rule out any of their veterans for Opening Day. That means trimming things down to construct their 26-man active roster could be difficult.

With 23 days to go until real Marlins baseball, it's time to follow up on Ely Sussman's roster projection with a projection of my own for the 2026 season opener.

Position players

Starting nine: Agustín Ramírez (C), Christopher Morel (1B), Xavier Edwards (2B), Graham Pauley (3B), Otto Lopez (SS), Kyle Stowers (LF), Jakob Marsee (CF), Owen Caissie (RF) and Heriberto Hernández (DH)

Bench: Griffin Conine (OF/1B), Javier Sanoja (INF/OF), Liam Hicks (C), Connor Norby (INF)

Stowers (hamstring) and Pauley (forearm) are both expected to be fully recovered from their injuries and ready to go for Opening Day, per manager Clayton McCullough.

To Norby's credit, he has been able to hold his own at third base this spring. The arm strength is still there and he has only committed one error, which was a throwing error in the first game against the New York Mets. Offensively, he has gotten off to a slow start, striking out six times in 13 at-bats. It's still relatively early and remember that in 2025, we saw a certain Marlins outfielder have a rough spring statistically, only to turn into an All-Star and emerge as the team's best player, so let's not jump to conclusions yet.

If both make the club, Pauley and Norby will in all likelihood platoon at third base.

Just missed: Esteury Ruiz (OF) and Deyvison De Los Santos (1B)

Ruiz, who isn't hitting much either to this point and has one minor league option remaining, could be sent down to Triple-A Jacksonville. The Marlins already have a decent number of right-handed-hitting alternatives capable of contributing off the bench. Despite making an offseason trade to acquire Ruiz, the need for him on the Opening Day roster just isn't there right now.

Still only 22 years old, De Los Santos has looked good so far, but the Marlins signed Morel to play first base and will also use that position to keep Griffin Conine's bat in the lineup. De Los Santos will go to Jacksonville and if the Morel/Conine experiment at first base does not work, he should be the first player called up, since he is the only natural first baseman on the 40-man roster.

Pitchers

Starting rotation: RHP Sandy Alcantara, RHP Eury Pérez, RHP Max Meyer, RHP Chris Paddack and LHP Braxton Garrett

No surprises in the starting rotation as Alcantara and Pérez will be right at the top, followed by a trio of Meyer, the free agent signing Paddack and the lefty Garrett. McCullough told reporters that he wants the best five pitchers taking the mound.

After a shaky first start for Garrett, he came back out against Israel and threw two shutout innings, striking out one in the process. It would still be nice to see him generate more whiffs as he continues building up.

Just missed: LHP Robby Snelling

Snelling missing out on the rotation will be motivated in part by the Marlins' desire to gain another year of club control. The only concern with that is if he is called early enough to earn rookie of the year votes and wins the award, he will be given a full year of service time, which is what happened with Paul Skenes two years ago. 

Bullpen: RHP Pete Fairbanks, RHP Calvin Faucher, RHP Anthony Bender, RHP Tyler Phillips, RHP Lake Bachar, RHP Janson Junk, LHP John King and LHP Cade Gibson

Just missed: LHP Andrew Nardi, RHP Michael Petersen, RHP Josh White and RHP Jack Ralston

Nardi (blood blister) has yet to pitch in a spring training game, and with an option remaining, he may just begin the season in Jacksonville to get back to full strength and then rejoin the team once he is ready. A southpaw combo of Gibson and King isn't bad at all to begin the season.

Michael Petersen, who Ely had making the roster over Bachar, is something I disagreed with. Although Petersen's fastball is one of the best in the Marlins bullpen, averaging 97.5 mph with a plus-three run value, his other pitches just haven't been very effective. Bachar has more of a major league track record and his stuff is intriguing, too. With that being said, Petersen is 31 and you may as well see what you've got with the player.

White was on my last roster projection, and you can potentially add him over Bachar, but it has been a while since the Marlins chose to let any pitcher with zero MLB experience make the team's Opening Day roster.

Of all the minor league signings, Ralston seems to be the best thus far. In four spring appearances, he has yet to surrender a run and has struck out seven hitters. Health permitting, he will be called up at some point in 2026.

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