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. 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

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. 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. View full article

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. View full article

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: .marlins-roster { font-family: Arial, sans-serif; max-width: 900px; margin: auto; border: 2px solid #00A3E0; border-radius: 10px; overflow: hidden; } .marlins-header { background-color: #000000; color: #00A3E0; text-align: center; padding: 15px; font-size: 22px; font-weight: bold; } .roster-container { display: flex; flex-wrap: wrap; } .roster-column { flex: 1; min-width: 300px; padding: 15px; } .column-title { background-color: #00A3E0; color: #000; padding: 10px; font-weight: bold; text-align: center; border-radius: 5px; margin-bottom: 10px; } .player { background-color: #111; color: #fff; padding: 8px; margin: 5px 0; border-left: 4px solid #00A3E0; border-radius: 4px; font-size: 14px; } .player span { color: #00A3E0; font-weight: bold; } Miami Marlins 2026 Opening Day Roster Position Players Agustín Ramírez (C) Liam Hicks (C) Jakob Marsee (OF) Griffin Conine (OF/1B) Owen Caissie (OF) Heriberto Hernández (OF) Otto Lopez (INF) Xavier Edwards (INF) Graham Pauley (INF) Javier Sanoja (INF/OF) Connor Norby (INF/OF) Christopher Morel (INF) Austin Slater (OF) Pitchers Sandy Alcantara (RHP) Eury Pérez (RHP) Max Meyer (RHP) Chris Paddack (RHP) Janson Junk (RHP) Pete Fairbanks (RHP) Calvin Faucher (RHP) Tyler Phillips (RHP) Anthony Bender (RHP) Andrew Nardi (LHP) John King (LHP) Lake Bachar (RHP) Michael Petersen (RHP) 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. View full article

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. View full video

Marlins outfielder Kyle Stowers speaks with the media prior to Opening Day to provide an update on his injury rehab. View full video

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." View full article

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

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. WU9ZbERfWGw0TUFRPT1fVWdGV0FWRURVZ0FBQ0FBQVVnQUhDVlZRQUZoUlVsSUFCd1pSVlF0UkJnQlVWZ0JV.mp4 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. View full article

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. View full article

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. View full article