Kevin Barral

Miami Marlins manager Clayton McCullough is certainly not above criticism when his in-game decisions backfire. Just last week, there was a prime example of that. On the other hand, you have to give McCullough credit when those same sort of moves are ordered correctly and produce positive results. That was the case Monday night against the Colorado Rockies in a 10-7 win. In the top of the fifth inning, Rockies manager Warren Schaeffer took out left-handed starter Sean Sullivan and went to righty Victor Vodnik. Leo Jimenez, who was supposed to hit in that spot and already had an RBI double in his first at-bat of the game, was taken out and Griffin Conine entered the game to pinch-hit for him. On the second pitch of the at-bat, Vodnik served up a changeup that Conine clobbered 433 feet slamming into the third deck in right field, giving the Marlins a 6-5 lead. "Looking at today with their only lefty, he had thrown back-to-back days, potentially he could have come in, but that would have Griff and Owen (Caissie) and even Graham (Pauley) ready to come pinch-hit in those spots," McCullough said. "The first shot there with some guys on, I felt like it was a moment, and then Griff was gonna be the first bat off the bench." Conine has missed most of the season due to a left hamstring tear. He has played in seven games since coming off the injured list. His home run marked his first career pinch-hit home run and the third by a Marlin this season. It also was the longest home run of his career. "Anytime you are going into the game in a big spot, you just get as much as you can on the guy before you go up there and try to get a good pitch," Conine told the Marlins Radio Network postgame. "He threw me two changeups in a row and that definitely helped out the timing and I didn't miss the second one." Sandy Alcantara made his final start in the month of June, going 5 2/3 innings, allowing five runs on seven hits, walked five and struck out three. In the top of the sixth inning, McCullough came out to chat with Alcantara and after a couple second, he was out of the game. McCullough turned to Michael Petersen who got out of the inning, allowing Alcantara to stay in line for what was his sixth win. "What makes Mike so special for us is that he is very good versus left and he's good versus right," McCullough said. "Having that neutrality, we liked him versus (Jake) McCarthy either way, and that his ability to come into any spot versus any sided hitter is a big deal." Alcantara becomes the third pitcher in Marlins franchise history to post a 6-0 record in one month, joining José Fernández (6-0 in May 2016) and Chris Hammond (6-0 in June 1993). He finishes the month of June with a 3.35 ERA in 40 1/3 innings of work. In that span, Alcantara completed seven innings or more in three straight starts and now has the most strikeouts in franchise history. The final button pressed by the skipper was when he decided to pinch-hit for Esteury Ruiz with Owen Caissie in the top of the seventh inning. On the second pitch of the at-bat, Caissie knocked in a single off Rockies reliever Antonio Senzatela. He later scored a run on a Javier Sanoja RBI triple. Caissie finished his night going 2-for-2, bumping his OPS to .827 in the month of June. The Marlins have tied a franchise record with 19 wins in the month of June, first accomplished by the 2023 club. The Marlins join Atlanta (19-9 in April) and Milwaukee (19-7 in May) as the only teams in the majors this season to collect at least 19 wins in a calendar month. "This has been a really big month for Sandy," McCullough said. "During this run, he has really been on the attack. Coming into this game, if he's not leading the league in innings, he's right there. He has efficiently done his work, and he's continued to fill it up. I think that we've seen a guy who's certainly been there, done that, and with the situation we've been in recently, where we've patched things together on some days with our pitching, that what Sandy does on the days he gets the ball, we generally count on him going deep and giving us a chance." With the win, the Marlins move to 45-40 on the season. When it comes to the NL Wild Card race, the Marlins find themselves in a virtual tie with the St. Louis Cardinals for the third spot, with the Cardinals just barely leading in terms of win percentage (.531 to .529). Eury Pérez takes the mound on Tuesday for his second start since coming off the injured list. First pitch is at 8:40 pm ET. View full article

The Miami Marlins are currently in the thick of things with a 44-40 record, only half a game out of the final Wild Card spot in the National League. They are trending toward being in a position to make true a push for the postseason for the first time since 2023. This Marlins team is good but flawed, suffering from the worst third base production in MLB. Also, injuries have thinned out their starting rotation and closing out games has been an issue at times. Here are four veterans that Miami could pursue leading up to the trade deadline to strengthen their roster without mortgaging their future. J.P. Crawford (Seattle Mariners) Longtime Mariner J.P. Crawford is being phased out of the club's plans. Top prospect Colt Emerson has been called up to serve as Seattle's shortstop of the future. This has shifted Crawford to third base in recent weeks, but even that job is expected to be taken away once Brendan Donovan returns from the injured list. In 67 games this season, Crawford is slashing .224/.342/.371/.713 with 10 home runs, 25 RBI and a 110 wRC+. He consistently shows a great eye at the plate and his 2026 season is no exception as he's drawing walks 13.4% of the time and ranking in the 96th percentile in chase rate. Crawford is in the final year of a five-year, $51M contract, so the Marlins would be acquiring a pending free agent who is making $12M this season. The Mariners are certainly not behaving as "sellers" at the deadline, but this is the one piece who they can afford to part with. Meanwhile in Miami, Crawford could take over as the primary third baseman and provide solid insurance should star shortstop Otto Lopez miss any time due to injury. Isaac Paredes (Houston Astros) Isaac Paredes also would make a lot of sense for the Marlins, just with a much different player profile than Crawford. In 79 games this season, Paredes is slashing .250/.348/.426/.774 with 11 home runs, 44 RBI and a 119 wRC+. Approach-wise, Paredes is striking out 16.3% of the time, the lowest single-season mark of his career (min. 100 PA). Although Paredes isn't a good third baseman by any means, the Marlins should be willing to sacrifice some defense in favor of more offense. He also has experience at first base. Paredes is currently making $9.35M in 2026 with a club option of $13.35M for the 2027 season. As long as he hits close to his career averages down the stretch, that would be a nice value for the Marlins moving forward. Robbie Ray (San Francisco Giants) The Marlins starting rotation is severely lacking a swing-and-miss element. Would you be surprised to hear that Robbie Ray ranks sixth in MLB history (min. 1,000 IP) in career strikeouts per nine innings? Beyond that, Ray’s 13 years in the majors have seen him twice named an All-Star, win an ERA title, and claim a Cy Young Award. Through his first 17 appearances in 2026, Ray has been among the more stable forces for a Giants team hellbent on a rebuild, posting a 3.39 ERA, though sporting a considerably less impressive 4.63 FIP. Outside of John King, the Marlins bullpen is bereft of left-handed weapons. Utilizing Ray in short spurts is a fallback plan should he disappoint as a starter. A free agent at season’s end, Ray would merely be a rental for Miami. Expect the Giants to pay down a chunk of his $25M salary to extract a decent prospect return from the Fish. Aroldis Chapman (Boston Red Sox) At the ouset of 2025, many had given up on Aroldis Chapman. On his fourth team in three years, he was a journeyman in obvious decline...right? Instead, Chapman threw a wrinkle in the conventional aging curve and authored a historic reliever season for a Boston Red Sox team that snuck its way into the playoffs. He finished with a 1.17 ERA and held opponents to a .189 on-base percentage—both were the best single-season marks of his storied career. The 38-year-old hasn’t let up in 2026, sporting a 2.19 ERA across 26 appearances, with a fastball that still ranks in the 91st percentile in average velocity. While Miami already forked over $13M for a closer this past offseason, Pete Fairbanks has largely been a disappointment in his time with the club, sporting the third-highest ERA (6.75) among a sample of 165 relievers with at least 25 games pitched. The acquisition of Chapman would appropriately relegate him to a lower-leverage role. View full article

MIAMI, FL—While the All-Star break is still nearly three weeks away, the Miami Marlins reached the midpoint of their 2026 regular season schedule on Wednesday afternoon. With 81 games played and 81 games remaining, the Marlins currently find themselves with a 42-39 record, good for third place in the National League East and half a game out of the third and final NL Wild Card spot. This is a six-game improvement from the previous year. The 2025 Marlins were playing well at the same point of the season, but dug themselves a deeper hole early on and had a 36-45 record. The 2026 team is in a much better position to potentially act as buyers at the MLB trade deadline and ultimately get back to the postseason. Last time the Marlins found themselves above .500 at the halfway point was in 2023, when they were 47-34. How much of the Marlins' success is sustainable entering the second half of the season and how might things look different moving forward, both for better and worse? Let's take a closer look. Positives It all starts with the breakout season Otto Lopez is having, slashing .340/.374/.483/.857 with six home runs, 35 RBI and a 136 wRC+. He currently leads MLB in hits and batting average and ranks third in doubles. Lopez also has 32 multi-hit games. Unfortunately, fans outside of Miami are not noticing him. While an All-Star selection looks inevitable, he will have to settle for being selected as a reserve at the shortstop position. His middle infield partner, Xavier Edwards, is also having a breakout season, hitting .293/.374/.425/.799 with six home runs, 28 RBI, 11 stolen bases and a 121 wRC+. The switch-hitter has take a step forward from the right side of the plate and has been a staple near the top of the order, even hitting cleanup at points this season. Although Liam Hicks is currently on the injured list with a low back strain, he leads the team with 13 home runs and 53 RBI. Hicks has primarily split time between first base and designated hitter with the emergence of Joe Mack, but he does still catch once or twice a week. The trio of Hicks, Edwards and Lopez carried the Marlins lineup through the first two months of the season before we finally saw the lineup begin to lengthen out with Kyle Stowers, Jakob Marsee and Owen Caissie beginning to hit. The return of Hicks will be a final boost before the All-Star break. If there is one offseason acquisition that has panned out for this team, it has been Esteury Ruiz, who is having a career year with the Marlins. He did not start the final game of the series against the Rangers, but entered in the bottom of the seventh inning. He is now slashing .257/.356/.541/.897 with four home runs, nine RBI, 14 stolen bases and a 145 wRC+ in 46 games thus far. Ruiz has been implemented into late-game situations to pinch run and for his defense. Max Meyer may be on his way to Philly at the rate he is pitching, now with a 2.80 ERA, 3.33 FIP, 10.20 K/9 and 3.40 BB/9 in 90.0 innings of work, which is a career-high for him. Meyer won't win the Cy Young by any means, but he could finish towards the bottom of the top 10 in voting. Meyer is set to make his next start on Friday against the St. Louis Cardinals. Since the incorporation of Joe Mack, teams are preparing differently for what can happen on the basepaths. Mack has thrown out 12 runners this season, which is good for a 34.3% caught stealing rate. Offensively, he is finally beginning to heat up, slashing .259/.317/.405/.723 with four home runs, 18 RBI and a 101 wRC+. The Marlins as a team continue to lead MLB in stolen bases with 88. Jakob Marsee has a team-high 18 steals. There are four players with 10 or more this season. Entering the series finale against the Rangers, the Marlins bullpen ranked seventh in ERA (3.42), FIP (3.65), fourth in K/9 (9.50) and 22nd in BB/9 (4.18). Although the walks remain an issue, performances from John King, Anthony Bender and Lake Bachar have carried the bullpen to becoming a strength of his ball club. That doesn't mean it is perfect, as Pete Fairbanks is having an up and down season. On Wednesday, the bullpen struck out six Rangers and allowed one run on three hits (one home run). The lone run the bullpen surrendered came in the top of the ninth inning from Joc Pedersen off Fairbanks, who did rack up his 12th save of the season. Negatives Injuries always suck. The absences of Robby Snelling, Eury Pérez and Janson Junk put the Marlins starting rotation in a situation where they had to rely on Braxton Garrett, Ryan Gusto and converted reliever Tyler Phillips. Somehow, they did manage to post a 15-5 record in the month of June before Pérez's return on Wednesday. In June, the Marlins bullpen has thrown 84 ⅓ innings pitched. Lake Bachar has been the real hero, having to start four games in June, throwing 13 ⅔ innings and posting a 1.32 ERA and 2.45 FIP in the span. Although Janson Junk is expected to return next month, the need for another starting pitcher or just pitching in general is there if the Marlins plan to contend in 2026. The biggest need for the Marlins is a third baseman. Amongst players who have played the position this year, they have a 43 wRC+, tied for worst in baseball with the Cincinnati Reds. Those who have played third base for the Marlins include Connor Norby, Leo Jiménez, Javier Sanoja and Graham Pauley, all who have a wRC+ well below 100 this season. Defensively, they have the third-worst fielding percentage in baseball (.944) and tied for the second-most errors (12). Jiménez, who the Marlins continue to give plenty of opportunities to, is now slashing .177/.283/.203/.486 with two extra-base hits and a 44 wRC+. His wRC+ is the eighth-worst in the National League among players with comparable playing time. You can sacrifice a bit more defense at third to increase production offensively. If Miami plans on buying, Matt Chapman of the San Francisco Giants and Isaac Paredes of the Houston Astros are two options who can help the team drive in runs, and Chapman will provide some help with his glove as well. Outlook The Marlins have had the advantage of a home-heavy schedule, playing 45 of their first 81 games at loanDepot park. That will be flipped around the rest of the way to even things out. They are set to begin a three-city road trip on Friday in St. Louis against the Cardinals. For any scoreboard watchers, the Cardinals (42-35) currently hold the first NL Wild Card spot, so this series is a huge one for the Marlins. View full article

For the 2026 season, Fish On First will provide weekly reports on the Miami Marlins farm system, covering all levels. This late-June edition of the Fish On First Prospects Report includes a lot of familiar names who have maintained strong production across multiple weeks, plus some good problems to have with top prospects returning from injuries. This report covers the games played from June 16-22. Triple-A Jacksonville Gage Miller's time in Jacksonville has been nothing short of impressive, slashing .341/.442/.614/1.056 with three home runs, 12 RBI and a 178 wRC+. With the Jumbo Shrimp, Miller is posting the highest walk rate of his career (13.5%) and continues to strike out under 20% of the time (17.3%). Defensively, Miller is primarily playing second base, but has also seen time at third base as well. Worth noting, the big league club currently has the worst offensive production at the third base this season, per wRC+. Kemp Alderman split time between right field and first base in his first week back from a left elbow sprain. Overall, he is slashing .287/.365/.503/.868 with 10 home runs, 24 RBI and a 129 wRC+. Johnny Olmstead, a 19th-round pick back in 2023, is having a strong month of June, slashing .235/.422/.471/.893. Olmstead hit a home run on Friday against the Durham Bulls. His overall season slash line is .210/.365/.371/.763 with five home runs, 21 RBI and a 106 wRC+. In his most recent start for the Jumbo Shrimp, Karson Milbrandt went four innings, allowing one run on three hits, walked five and struck out seven. Milbrandt's fastball topped out at 96.8 mph, averaging 94.8 mph and generating eight whiffs. Of his seven strikeouts, four of them came on the sweeper, generating eight whiffs as well. Although extremely effective overall, control continues to be an issue for him, now having walked three or more in all three starts at the Triple-A level. Jack Ralston continues to have a strong season, posting a 1.30 ERA, 3.84 FIP, 11.23 K9 and 3.46 BB/9 in 25 appearances. The Marlins have given other relievers opportunities over Ralston so far, but his chance should come at some point soon. The Marlins brought back Zach Pop on a minor league deal. Pop previously spent time with the Marlins in 2021 and 2022, then bounced around the league with stints in the Toronto Blue Jays, Seattle Mariners, New York Mets, Chicago Cubs and Philadelphia Phillies organizations. Pop made his 2026 Jumbo Shrimp debut on June 16 against Durham. He has since pitched in three games, allowing three runs on two hits and three strikeouts. The three runs and two hits were all surrendered in that first outing. His two other outings have been perfect. Double-A Pensacola The Wahoos did their part to keep their first-half division title hopes alive all week long, including deep into the night and early morning on Thursday and Friday when the team attempted to wait out a lengthy delay. Despite falling just short of their ultimate goal, the team had a great series against Birmingham, winning four of six games by way of a 46-32 run differential. They ended the first half three games over .500 at 36-33. There’s taking the toughest promotion in the minors in stride, then there’s doing what Cam Cannarella is doing. Called up to Pensacola at the beginning of the month, the 22-year-old has barely batted an eye at the change in competition level. With nine more hits including two homers this past week, Cannarella is slashing .357/.439/.500 as a Blue Wahoo. He has a 155 wRC+. Cannarella is proving to be one of the faster-developing position player prospects the Marlins have housed in recent memory. Nearly matching the same solid walk rate he posted in High-A along with limiting his K rate to an elite 11% while making contact at an 85% rate on pitches within the strike zone, there isn’t much not to nitpick. Touted for a plus-plus defensive skill set and great bat-to-ball skills coming out of the draft, it was believed that Cannarella profiled as hit-over-power. However, he has definitely started to tap into more extra bases, already hitting five homers on the campaign. With sound mechanics, great discipline, decent speed and the aptitude to stick in center field due to good reads, instincts and athleticism, Cannarella has three of five tools. If the power continues to show up, he could be adding a fourth. Even though Cannarella’s career is still very young, he has answered every challenge successfully and with flying colors. If he keeps doing what he’s doing, Cannarella could be a candidate to arrive in Miami as early as next season. The quick challenge to the Double-A ranks hasn’t been the kindest to the Marlins 2025 first-rounder Aiva Arquette, save for one facet of the game: power. Since his promotion to the Wahoos, Arquette has gone 20 for his first 93 including 13-for-64 in June. While he’s hitting just .215 with a .284 OBP, Arquette is slugging .420. That is because 33% of his hits have left the yard. As a member of the Blue Wahoos, the 22-year-old already has five home runs. Arquette’s weaknesses have been two-fold: swinging at too many pitches outside of the strike zone and getting off his best swing altogether. While he has been able to avoid whiffs rather well, generating solid contact has been a struggle. Swinging at pitches outside of the zone 30% of the time and exhibiting a a lowly .298 wOBA along with a 45% ground ball rate, he’s left a bit to be desired amidst the challenge to the upper minors. Unlocking Arquette will take a few things: more reps, natural progression, and body control. The first two are an easy fix that just require time. The third may be a bit trickier for the Marlins as they attempt to groom the 6’5”, 220-pound specimen. Arquette’s swing itself is pretty sound—it’s getting to it that needs work. At his size, he works with a lot of moving parts and levers that can cause him to look awkward at times when attempting to time up his cuts. Additionally, the inherently picky and selective hitter is sometimes late to commit to a swing, compounding this issue. Quieting down Arquette’s approach and getting him to fully commit to swings earlier in his process will be key for Arquette as he continues his development with Pensacola. Where size has not hurt Arquette is in the field. Despite being a very unique build for the shortstop position, he looks every bit the part there and hasn’t given the Marlins any reason to doubt he stick there long term. That said, he’s also been tried out at third base. If the bat continues to lag behind the defense, more regular playing time at third rather than the higher-stress up-the-middle position may be an advantageous step for Miami to take. High-A Beloit Beloit bounced back from losing 10 of their previous 12 with a good offensive showing, leading to them taking three out of five games played against Cedar Rapids on the road. The final game of the series was postponed and will be made up next month. Beloit scored at least eight runs in every game and owned the advantage in a 51-41 run differential. After hitting four homers the week previous, Brandon Compton proved his recent power surge was no fluke. The 2025 second-rounder put out another four long balls against the Kernels including a couple absolute no-doubters. His slugging percentage on the season rose to .450 and to an audacious .767 in June, earning him our Prospect of the Week honors. A 6’1”, 225-pound lefty, Compton is putting absolute monstrous power on full display, particularly to his pull side. As his vision starts to improve and he starts to gain more confidence in his swing, pitching Compton inside is becoming more of a chore for opposing pitchers. Looking at Compton’s advanced stats, his slow start was marred by an inability to make contact on pitches within the strike zone. His 70.9% zone contact percentage is in the eighth percentile league-wide. It hasn’t been that Compton has swung at bad pitches—his swing rate on pitches outside the zone is 22.1%, in the 81st percentile and his 24.5% walk rate is ridiculously high. It just seems Compton was getting a bit over-zealous when swinging at strikes, leading to a heightened whiff rate. As he’s beginning to solve for that issue, we’re seeing what this bat is fully capable of. As we’ve stated previously regarding Compton, he is bat-first and arguably bat-only, so it will need to carry him to the next level. If he continues on his current track, a call-up to Double-A is merited this season once space becomes available in Pensacola’s crowded outfield. Two weeks ago, as part of our report, we mentioned how Dillon Head just needs to build confidence to break out of a injury-interrupted start-of-season slump that had him slashing just .163/.273/.231 with a 41 wRC+. Almost immediately after that writing, the 21-year-old’s bat perked up. He recorded six hits against Quad Cities and followed up with a seven-hit effort this week against Cedar Rapids. Over that span, Head doubled three times and homered twice. His June slash line represents the best offensive baseball he’s played in a Marlins-affiliated uniform. Altogether this month, he’s hitting .311/.408/.590. Confidence is key and Head is the proof. In the 91st percentile in zone contact but the 23rd in zone swing, Head just needed to start swinging at more strikes. Over the last two weeks, he’s showcased that trait, the main catalyst in his fiery stretch. One of few prospects in the Marlins’ ranks that profiles as a true center fielder long term, we are starting to get a glimpse at what the tooled-up prospect can do when making the most of loud raw tools including a quick bat and plus-plus speed. A guy that can and likely will live with a high BABIP due to his quickness and ability to turn anything in play into a hit, Head is also a smart baserunner who comes by extra bases fairly easily even if he does not hit a gap. Because of his twitchy hands, Head also isn’t completely devoid of power. With room to continue to grow into 20-double, 20-steal, 10-homer production annually, it is very refreshing to start to see it happen for Head. Despite injuries, time is still on his side. Trending up, he’s a name we will continue to monitor very closely. Low-A Jupiter Since his arrival to the Low-A level, Luis Arana has not stopped hitting, slashing .345/.479/.483/.962 with one home run, 13 RBI and a 169 wRC+. The main difference has been Arana striking out more (17.8%) at this level compared to the complex league (9.2%). Overall, Arana is slashing .366/.478/.464/.943 with one home run, 18 RBI, 20 stolen bases and a 158 wRC+. He is proving to be the crown jewel of Miami's 2025 international free agent class on the position player side. Edgardo De Leon was promoted along with Arana to the Low-A level and the results have different, hitting .200/.261/.450/.711 with three home runs, 11 RBI and an 82 wRC+. De Leon's main issue has been his strikeout rate (32.6%) now being exposed more at this level. The concern level shouldn't be too high yet given the limited sample. It's just a matter of time until Carter Johnson receives a promotion to High-A Beloit. Johnson is now slashing .243/.357/.430/.788 with eight home runs, 35 RBI and a 114 wRC+. Johnson, whose stock has fallen dramatically in two years of pro ball, still has a path to putting together a productive career. It will just take patience. Since his promotion to Low-A, Eiver Mosquera has been great, posting a 2.45 ERA, 3.75 FIP, 11.45 K/9 and 3.27 BB/9. Mosquera has made three appearances (one start) so far. In his most recent outing against the Palm Beach Cardinals, Mosquera went four innings, allowing three runs (two earned) on five hits, two walks and struck out six. His fastball velocity topped out at 97.3 mph and averaged 96.4 mph. FCL Marlins The offense running through the organization right now is contagious. This week featured a 19-run performance in eight innings by the FCL Marlins last Tuesday. After struggling during his first two professional seasons, Adrian Bello broke out last year in the Dominican Summer League before making the jump stateside this season. He has been one of the more consistent bats for the FCL Marlins, hitting .290 with one home run, 11 RBI, and seven stolen bases. His plate discipline has also been encouraging, as he has drawn 12 walks while striking out just 13 times. This week, Bello recorded a hit in three of the four games he played, including two multi-hit performances. Bello's biggest concern remains his batted-ball profile. His 2.00 GO/AO ratio suggests he is putting a lot of balls on the ground, making it difficult to sustain his current production unless he starts elevating the ball more consistently. After a brief stint in Jupiter last year where he struggled and then continued to have difficulties following his demotion back to the FCL, John Cruz has finally started to find his groove. He is hitting .317 in June with two home runs and nine RBI. On the season, he owns a .267 batting average with four home runs, 18 RBI, and 11 stolen bases. The strikeout totals remain high, but he has made noticeable improvements compared to last season. With the draft approaching, it may be time to give Cruz another opportunity in Low-A Jupiter and see how he responds. DSL Marlins & DSL Miami Carlos De Los Santos is off to an excellent start in his professional career. He is hitting .342 with a home run and nine RBI on the season and has only gone hitless in four games. In two of those games, he received just one at-bat. This week, he continued to produce, going 4-for-14 (.286) with a double and two RBI. Two of those hits and both RBI came on Monday during DSL Miami's 15-12 victory over the DSL Twins. The strikeout rate and BABIP are both a little elevated, but for a 17-year-old in his first professional season, the early results are extremely encouraging for the Marlins. Jesús Pérez entered Monday's game hitting just .105 through his first 19 at-bats of the season. He responded by putting together one of the best individual performances in the DSL this year, going 5-for-6 with two home runs, six RBI, and a stolen base. That performance raised his season average all the way to .280. Prior to Monday, Pérez had struck out just three times in 19 at-bats, but had little to show for it. Sometimes all a player needs is one breakout game to get things going, and Monday may have been exactly that. Johan Machado put together one of the best weeks in the entire organization. He recorded a hit in every game he played and added three multi-hit performances. He capped off the week on Monday with a home run and three RBI. Machado is best known for his speed, highlighted earlier this season by a game in which he stole five bases. If he can begin to pair that speed with more consistent offensive production, he has the potential to become one of the fastest risers in the system. Santiago Solarte wasn't satisfied with the excellent week he had previously, so he followed it up with another strong performance. He recorded a hit in four of five games and added another home run. On Monday, after a one-out single in the first inning, Solarte stole second, third, and home. He now has 14 stolen bases on the season (fourth among all DSL players). He continues to improve each week, and with his 6-foot-5 frame, these flashes are exactly why the Marlins believe he has the potential to develop into a true five-tool player. After opening the season 1-for-6, Diego Martinez has found his groove during his first professional season. He is now hitting .393 with two home runs, seven RBI, and six stolen bases. This week was easily his best of the year, as he recorded back-to-back three-hit games and homered in both contests. The sample size remains small at just 28 at-bats, and his .474 BABIP is certainly inflated. However, the early foundation of his offensive potential has definitely started to reveal itself, giving the Marlins another intriguing young bat to monitor as the season progresses. This week's schedule Triple-A Jacksonville vs. Memphis Double-A Pensacola at Chattanooga High-A Beloit vs. Peoria Low-A Jupiter at Clearwater FCL Marlins, DSL Marlins and DSL Miami vs. various opponents View full article

MIAMI, FL - The red hot Miami Marlins welcomed the Texas Rangers to kick-off a three-game set, but also welcomed the Tartan Army. This is a group of Scottish soccer fans supporting the national team during their World Cup run. Unfortunately, the support of 20,008 fans was not enough as the Marlins fell by a final score of 4-3. It was assumed up until the day of the game that right-handed pitcher Kumar Rocker would get the start. The day of the game, the Rangers went with left-handed reliever Tyler Alexander to open the game. This is a strategy that multiple teams have employed this season against the Marlins, most notably the Washington Nationals and Tampa Bay Rays. Alexander has only gone two innings or more three times this season. Despite that, the Marlins opted to start Esteury Ruiz, assuming that maybe Alexander would go two innings, meaning he faces Ruiz once. Well, the Marlins thought wrong. Kumar Rocker entered the game to begin the second inning and Marlins manager Clayton McCullough leaned into the splits, pinch hitting Ruiz and going with Owen Caissie when Ruiz did not even take an at-bat. "If Rocker was going to start the game pitching, Owen would have started the game," McCullough said, "and I liked Owen, with that more sinker/slider mix to take those at bats, and when Rocker came in near that point, while strange, maybe felt like it was still going to get Owen a better matchup than Ruiz on Rocker." The Marlins later opted to pinch hit for Caissie in the bottom of the seventh, where Ruiz could've been utilized given his ability to get on base (.360 OBP) and make things happen on the base paths (14 stolen bases). Instead, the Marlins went with Leo Jimenez, who following Monday's game, is slashing .182/.281/.208/.489 with two extra base hits and a 44 wRC+. So far against left-handed pitching, Caissie is 6-31, but at 23 years old, the Marlins are treating the former top prospect as a platoon player, which is not and should not be seen as his ceiling. Going into Monday, since May, Caissie is slashing .235/.310/.469/.779 with six home runs and 25 RBI. At some point, the development of Caissie to see if he can become an everyday player needs to be taken into account, and on Monday night, it was not. "I think this is more how we go into games trying to win," McCullough said. "What's our best chance to win tonight's game, and so we'll continue to look at that with him and other guys as well." After a rough start for Tyler Phillips on the road against the Philadelphia Phillies, he bounced back against the Rangers, going six innings, allowing two runs on five hits, three walks and four strikeouts. Two of his strikeouts came on his splitter, the most used pitch for him on the night. The two runs he allowed came in the top of the fourth inning when Ezequiel Duran took him deep to straightaway center field, a two-run shot, giving the Rangers a 2-0 lead. Xavier Edwards, who has been slumping these past couple of weeks, turned in a multi-hit performance, capped off by an RBI triple in the bottom of the sixth inning. He was sent home, but the throw came in right on time to get him out at home, making it a 2-2 game. "I know he's been having a hard time lately," McCullough said. "He looked good tonight, especially with the triple, that was exciting. He's too good of a hitter. He's going to continue to scratch out some hits, and I believe he'll get on another real run, where he's stringing a bunch of them together." Kyle Stowers' strong month of June continued in a late-game situation. Down 4-2 in the bottom of the eighth inning, Stowers got to lefty Jacob Latz, hitting an RBI double to put the Marlins within one, trailing 4-3. He is now slashing .231/.346/.538/.884 in June. With the loss, the Marlins fall to 40-39, one game out of the third and final National League Wild Card spot. Sandy Alcantara, who is four strikeouts shy of taking down Ricky Nolasco's record for most career strikeouts in franchise history, takes the mound on Tuesday at 6:40 pm EST. View full article

MIAMI, FL—In front of 22,643 fans, the Miami Marlins defeated the San Francisco Giants by a final score of 6-3, improving to one game over .500 for the first time since April 14. A big reason for their success not, just in the month of June, but all season, has been shortstop Otto Lopez. Lopez currently leads baseball with a .332 batting average. With a single on Saturday, he became the first player in MLB this season to reach the 100-hit marker. He joins Luis Arraez (2023) and Dee Strange-Gordon (2015) as the only other players in franchise history to win the league-wide race to 100. Arraez and Strange-Gordon both went on to win National League batting titles in those seasons. "Otto's been our most consistent offensive player," manager Clayton McCullough said. "He gets hits all over the place. Otto has a lot of room to grow as an offensive player, like he can get better...There's a lot left for him to hit his ceiling, but certainly hard to not appreciate what he's done, playing almost every day at shortstop and running the bases, collecting hits. He's been incredible." The 100th hit of the season came in the bottom of the fourth inning with a runner on first and no outs. Lopez's hit had an exit velocity of 97.2 mph and moved the runner from first to second. After Kyle Stowers worked a walk, that loaded the bases for Xavier Edwards, who grounded into a double play, but still plated a run. Heriberto Hernandez, who since being recalled from Triple-A Jacksonville, entered Saturday slashing .288/.310/.538/.847 with six home runs and 17 RBI. With Lopez on third, Hernandez hit his seventh home run of the season off reliever Matt Gage. The ball left the bat at 107.2 mph and went 389 feet to left field, extending the Marlins lead, 6-2. "I think we saw Bert do this last year, and since he's come back, he's been a real key cog, sitting in the middle of those left-handed hitters that we have, and he's slugging, finding the barrel a lot," McCullough said. "He has a knack for coming up with some really big hits and he can leave the ballpark and the power from the right side is hard to come by. I think it's been a real shot in the arm for us." Although Max Meyer wasn't his best version, the Marlins starter went five innings, allowing two runs on seven hits (one home run), two walks and struck out seven. Meyer's slider did look sharp, generating five whiffs and struck out four on that pitch. The other three strikeouts came on his sweeper. The home run he gave up came in the top of the fourth inning. Casey Schmitt took Meyer deep, hitting his 16th home run of the season. The Marlins joined the Philadelphia Phillies as the only teams this season to make it back over .500 after being as many as eight games below .500. With the win, the Marlins are now just one game out of the third and final National League Wild Card spot. Ryan Gusto will get the start opposite of Logan Webb at 1:40 pm as the Marlins go for the sweep. View full article

MIAMI, FL—Sources tell Fish On First that the Miami Marlins are designating Christopher Morel for assignment in advance of Sunday's game. Morel's departure opens a spot on the roster for Griffin Conine to make his return from a left hamstring tear. Morel, who the Marlins signed to a one-year deal worth $2M, suffered an oblique strain in the hours leading up to Opening Day, delaying his regular season debut until April 28. Once reinstated from the injured list, he slashed .162/.219/.206/.425 with one RBI in 22 games. His 18 wRC+ was the fourth-lowest among all MLB hitters with a minimum of 70 plate appearances this season. Speaking about Morel on June 10, Marlins manager Clayton McCullough acknowledged that" it's been a bit of a struggle to this point...Chris is a real pro. He's continued to work and trying to problem solve and get himself going." However, Morel never played another game for the Marlins after that day despite remaining on the active roster and the club matching up with multiple left-handed starting pitchers. In 2023 with the Chicago Cubs, Morel clubbed 26 home runs and posted a 120 wRC+. He slugged below .400 in each of the next two seasons, though, and the Marlins bought low on Morel after he had been non-tendered by the Tampa Bay Rays. Along with hoping to find a bounce-back candidate offensively—the Marlins moved him to first base, a position he had never played in his professional career—trying to see if maybe a less stressful position would benefit him. Very early on in spring training, he actually looked fine at the position, but as the sample size grew, he struggled with both the physical elements and intangibles. Used exclusively at first base during his Marlins tenure, he finished with a minus-two Outs Above Average, but plus-one Defensive Runs Saved. Morel will now go through waivers. The Marlins are on the hook for the remainder of his $2M salary unless another team surprisingly claims him. In all likelihood, he will clear waivers, get released by the team and enter free agency. Conine was off to a great start this season, slashing .273/.360/.591/.951 through 11 games, before suffering a hamstring injury on April 9 while making a play in left field. He underwent surgery a few days later. He played three rehab games with Triple-A Jacksonville earlier this week. In total, he was sidelined for 64 Marlins games—they went 31-33 without him. Expect Conine to rotate between the corner outfield spots, first base and designated hitter. View full article

MIAMI, FL—For Owen Caissie, who the Marlins acquired as the centerpiece in the trade that sent Edward Cabrera to the Chicago Cubs, his first full season at the major league level has been filled with plenty of ups and downs. He had a .469 OPS in April, followed by a strong month of May with an .835 OPS, then another slow stretch during the first half of June. Friday against the San Francisco Giants was a showcase of his all-around potential. Caissie's three-RBI night was what the Marlins needed to take the series opener by a final score of 4-3, getting back to .500. Caissie got things going right away in the bottom of the first inning, hitting his eighth home run of the season off Giants starting pitcher Landen Roupp. It marked his third-longest home run of the season at 401 feet. He has now hit a home run in back-to-back games. If you go on Caissie's Baseball Savant page, you may be surprised to notice that he ranks in the 78th percentile among MLB players in sprint speed. That came into play in the bottom of the third inning when he decided to bunt on the third pitch of the at-bat. He was clocked at 29.8 ft/sec running down the first base line and beat the throw to reach safely. "I just felt like doing it," Caissie said postgame. "It was a horrible bunt I laid it down and just ran." "If you see something where the defense is maybe giving you an opening there to be willing to take a shot, whether to get yourself on base to start an inning or move some guys around," McCullough said. "Owen maybe was trying to get that little further down the line, but he got it out there, and I applaud him and the other guys for thinking about the team." Caissie only had 29 plate appearances against left-handed pitching going into Friday's series opener, posting a .192/.276/.269/.545 slash line and 58.6% strikeout rate. He was given an opportunity against Giants reliever Sam Hentges in the bottom of the seventh inning with runners on second and third. On the second pitch, Caissie hit a sacrifice fly deep enough to score Javier Sanoja and give the Marlins a 4-3 lead, which would be the difference. The 23-year-old finished the game going 3-for-3 with three RBI and was a triple shy of the cycle. "I love that they have confidence in me," Caissie said. "It gives me a lot of confidence that they can roll me every day, no matter what. It's honestly a blessing and I'm never going to take that for granted." The Marlins had the option of going with Max Meyer as their starting pitcher, but opted to give him an extra day of rest and go with a bullpen game. That would work out, but things got dicey. In the top of the second inning, Daniel Susac hit a sacrifice fly that tied the game, 1-1. Despite the Marlins taking a 2-1 lead in the fifth inning thanks to a Caissie's RBI double, Rafael Devers hit a game-tying 413-foot homer to the upper deck in right field. The Giants took a 3-2 lead in that same inning as Casey Schmitt hit an RBI single. Thankfully, the Marlins got right back into it when Esteury Ruiz was hit by a pitch, Javier Sanoja knocked in a base hit and Liam Hicks found a hole on the right side of the infield for his 53rd RBI of the season. Marlins closer Pete Fairbanks worked a 1-2-3 top of the ninth to notch save number 10 of the season and the 100th in his career. After a turbulent start to Fairbanks' season, he is finally beginning to settle in. On the season, he has a 6.43 ERA, 4.66 FIP, 4.32 xFIP, 12.43 K/9 and 4.71 BB/9. "Watching videos from a few years past to make sure I'm hitting the checkpoints that I hit when I'm good," Fairbanks said. "I'm working pretty hard to make sure we're in the right spot, and I think we're doing a pretty good job. Obviously, you still have your ups and downs, but all in all, definitely feel like I'm having a real season, not an interrupted one from earlier in the year." With the win, the Marlins remain two games out of the third and final National League Wild Card spot. They will look to get back to their series-winning ways on Saturday as Max Meyer takes the mound opposite of Trevor McDonald. First pitch is at 4:10 pm for what should be a well-attended game as loanDepot park celebrates Flanigan's Fest. View full article

The Miami Marlins series win streak is snapped at four as they fell to the Philadelphia Phillies by a final score of 8-2, dropping to two games under .500 and three games out of the third and final National League Wild Card spot. Tyler Phillips, a recent addition to the Marlins starting rotation, surrendered eight runs on six hits (three home runs) in four innings of work. Seven of the eight runs allowed came in the bottom of the first and second innings. Phillips, who was a reliever to begin the season, was put into a starter's role after Robby Snelling, Eury Pérez and Janson Junk all went down with their respective injuries. Tuesday's game nearly doubled his season ERA, from 1.86 to 3.10. The only two starters that remain from the original Marlins rotation are Sandy Alcantara and Max Meyer, who have been placed under more pressure as Alcantara is pitching on the day before a bullpen game and Meyer pitches on the day after. Both need to provide length to conserve the other arms on the staff. Although the move to have Phillips start games hasn't been a bad one per say, the organization should've looked for an outside option once they saw Braxton Garrett's struggles and the injuries of both Eury Pérez and Janson Junk pop up. Trying to get through the next month before the All-Star game with bullpen games and continuing to stretch relievers out into starters just isn't sustainable through the course of multiple months. If the Marlins were serious about contending for a Wild Card spot, they would've gone outside the organization to bring a starter that could help with team right now. That unfortunately has not been done and doesn't seem like it will be done. Prior to the game, the Marlins optioned William Kempner to Triple-A Jacksonville and recalled left-handed pitcher Dax Fulton from Triple-A. In two innings of work, Fulton didn't allow a hit, but did walk one and struck out two. For a second straight night, the Marlins offense already had to climb out of a hole, and it would be even tougher with former Marlins starter Jesus Luzardo. He went seven innings, allowing two runs on five hits, two walks and struck out nine. In the top of the seventh inning, Esteury Ruiz took Luzardo deep for a second time this season. It was his fourth home run of the season, making it 8-2. That would be the only run of the night. Ruiz's is now slashing .238/.329/.540/.869 with four home runs, nine RBI, 12 stolen bases and a 135 wRC+, all career-best marks for the 27-year-old that was acquired over the offseason from the Los Angeles Dodgers. Sandy Alcantara will take the mound on Wednesday afternoon at 1:05 pm as the Marlins look to salvage the series. View full article

For the 2026 season, Fish On First will provide weekly reports on the Miami Marlins farm system, covering all levels. This mid-June edition of the Fish On First Prospects Report might be our most detailed of the year thus far, including some key injury updates near the bottom of the article. This report covers the games played from June 9-15. Triple-A Jacksonville Although the walks do remain an issue, Karson Milbrandt had a strong second start in Jacksonville on Saturday, going five innings, allowing one run on three hits, three walks and struck out seven. His fastball topped out at 97.0 mph and averaged 94.3 mph. He had five whiffs on that pitch and three of his seven strikeouts came on the fastball. Milbrandt generated three of his strikeouts with his sweeper and also threw his slider and curveball. In a recent interview on the Call-Up Podcast, Milbrandt said that he has added a kick-change to his arsenal, though he has yet to use it in Triple-A. Since being optioned to Jacksonville, Graham Pauley is slashing .254/.361/.535/.897 with four home runs, 10 RBI and a 135 wRC+. Marlins third basemen this season at the big league level have combined for a 43 wRC+, the worst in baseball. Pauley's defense has never been the question, but he needs to hit at the highest level so he can be playable. Another opportunity should be coming for him soon if he maintains this pace. A third baseman coming out of the MLB Draft, Gage Miller has mostly been bumped to second base to make room for Pauley. He is now slashing .313/.421/.469/.890 with one home run, six RBI and a 144 wRC+ in Triple-A. Andrew Pintar is quietly having a great season. After a slow start, Pintar is now hitting .260/.366/.420/.786 with six home runs, 31 RBI, 17 stolen bases and a 114 wRC+. Outfield depth in the organization is as good as it's been in years, so for Pintar to receive a call-up this season may require an injury to either Jakob Marsee or Esteury Ruiz. Double-A Pensacola Behind solid starting pitching from some unheralded arms, the Wahoos enjoyed a successful week. After having their opener rained out, Pensacola split a doubleheader before taking three of the next four against the Clingstones to improve to 32-31. They are now within one game of the lead in a tightly contested Southern League South division. During the week, Pensacola starters gave up just 10 runs in 30 ⅓ innings (2.99 ERA). On the season, the Wahoos staff as a whole owns a 4.42 ERA, third-lowest in the Southern League. In today’s baseball reality, soft-tossing lefties are becoming a thing of the past. Luis Palacios represents one of few surviving members of this craft and it was on full display this week against Columbus. He worked five innings, allowing just one hit while striking out two and inducing nine ground outs. All of that was accomplished on just 53 pitches. The longest-tenured member of the Marlins organization, Palacios has been doing his thing, throwing strikes and getting ground balls since 2017. Simply put, the guy doesn’t walk anyone. Year over year, he is one of the best arms in MiLB at commanding the strike zone. This season, Palacios has uncharacteristically walked 25 batters in 51 ⅓ innings. This can perhaps partially be attributed to completely missing spring training due to visa issues. Despite the early-season woes, he bounced back well and is keeping his walk rate more than manageable. He’s doing the same with his ERA, which sits at 2.18 (seventh-lowest in the Southern League). When he’s at his best, Palacios profiles as an innings-eating machine capable of shutting down opposing offenses at a lightning-fast pace, but with limited velocity and swing-and-miss stuff, there is little room for error in his game. Despite being the complete and polar opposite of the Marlins’ archetype pitcher, the 25-year-old southpaw has performed well so far this season. Especially in an organization struggling for pitching depth, he at least deserves an extended look at the Triple-A level. As he comes up on another year of minor league free agent eligibility, Palacios getting a cup of coffee in the majors would certainly be a feel-good story for a player who has spent his entire professional career with the same team. It was another good series for Juan Matheus. The 22-year-old infielder who continues to project plus power from within a small package. In this series, the 5’9”, 155 pounder went 5-for-18 with two home runs and seven RBI. His team-best OPS rose to .830. Offensive success has been sporadic at times this season for Matheus, but overall, his translation to the upper minors is going pretty well. He’s swinging a lot both at strikes and at balls out of the zone, but his ability to get the bat around with lightning quickness has allotted him longer ABs and caused opposing pitchers to come further in the zone. Matheus continues to favor his pull side but he’s also found some success up the middle with the Wahoos as he is going through the box at a 30.8% clip. He hasn’t walked much against Double-A stuff but his penchant for contact more than makes up for it. Thought to be a distant third piece in the trade that sent Ryan Weathers to New York, Matheus has quickly made a name for himself with a loud bat that has looked the part more often than not against the toughest competition he’s ever faced. This is a name that is continuing to trend up in the organization. High-A Beloit It was another tough week for the Sky Carp in the standings. After opening their series against Quad Cities with a win, the team dropped four of their next five including their last three straight. Particularly painful was Saturday’s game in which they squandered an early 6-0 lead and lost 12-6. Beloit’s pitching continues to be a nightmare: their team ERA has now swelled to 5.97. They own a minus-26 run differential. A 22-year-old infielder capable of playing multiple positions, Emilio Barreras has done nothing but hit since coming to Miami as an eighth-round pick last year. Promoted to the High-A level on June 3, he is slashing .395/.432/.553 with the Sky Carp. This past week, Barreras went 10-for-17 and ran his hit streak to nine games en route to being named our Prospect of the Week. Coming out of the draft, Barreras was highly touted for his bat-to-ball skills which allotted him a .311/.399/.402 slash as a three-year starter at Grand Canyon University. Early in his pro career, he is proving that skill set can translate. With a patient approach and slashy bat built for a good average, Barreras can go with any pitch type and hit to all fields. He is also perfectly content taking a walk, which he has done more than he’s struck out so far this season. Scouts see in Barreras the hands, range and footwork to stick at shortstop, or the very least, the ability to hold down second base, keeping him at a premium position. Barreras isn’t slow, but needs to work on his timing mechanics while on the bases. If he’s able to develop in that capacity, he will add another layer to his game. So far this season, he has stolen three bags and been caught six times. Overall, Barreras, the self-described “pest,” could carve out a nice career as a top-of-the-order run to be driven in or a bottom-of-the-order guy who will turn the lineup over. If he keeps doing what he’s doing as he moves through the levels, he is a safe player. As such, the floor is decently high. Brandon Compton, the Marlins’ second-round pick last season, needs to find offensive consistency to carry him to a potential ceiling of a starting corner outfielder. After a disappointing May in which he recorded just 13 hits, Compton has been absolutely on fire to start June. The latest exports from Compton’s bat were a 10-hit series against the River Bandits and he is beginning to turn raw power that he was highly touted for when drafted into game power. Four of his salvos during that span were home runs, bringing him to seven on the season. With great raw strength, he is showcasing an ability to turn on virtually anything and drive it to his pull side. Compton has also been very selective against High-A stuff, proven by an extremely high 24% walk rate. The only thing inhibiting Compton’s game is an equally high K rate of 34%. A man of extremes, Compton isn’t swinging at bad pitches, but he is trying to force pull-side contact often leading to overzealous hacks and a bit of unbalance in his follow through. Simplifying his mechanics and being able to cover more plate will be paramount for the 22-year-old as he continues to develop. For now, this was an extremely encouraging week and span for Compton. If he can limit the swings-and-misses and start to use more of the field, he'll access the best version of himself. Low-A Jupiter After a hot start in the FCL, Edgardo De Leon was promoted to Low-A, where he is doing a lot of the same, slashing .350/.400/.700/1.100 with two home runs, six RBI and a 174 wRC+. He has six total home runs this season between both levels. In 2025, he struck out 28.8% of the time, but so far, he has cut down the strikeout rate to 17.8% between both levels and is walking 16.8% of the time. De Leon, 19, was the third piece acquired in the trade that sent Edward Cabrera to the Chicago Cubs this past offseason. Obviously, all players are in different stages of their career, but based solely on production, De Leon takes the cake. If he keeps producing at this level, De Leon should eventually crack into our FOF Top 30 list. Luis Arana, also promoted to Low-A with De Leon, has gotten off to a great start as well. In 11 games, he is hitting .341/.491/.512/1.003 with one home run, 11 RBI and a 180 wRC+. He has stolen 17 bases between both levels. Defensively, Arana has played shortstop the most, but has gotten a fair share of reps at third base. Signed as an international free agent out of Venezuela for $30k in 2025, he projects as a shortstop long term. Carter Johnson is quietly making the case for a promotion, now slashing .250/.370/.438/.808 with seven home runs, 31 RBI and a 122 wRC+. A lot of the production should be taken with a grain of salt as this is his second full season at the level, but at this rate, he has nothing left to prove. Manuel Genao, a 20-year-old right-handed pitching prospect, has a 3.50 ERA, 3.92 FIP, 9.67 K/9 and a 2.33 BB/9 in 13 games (11 starts) this season. In his most recent start where there was Statcast data available, Genao's sinker topped out at 96.1 mph and averaged 94.6 mph. He also throws a slider, curveball, cutter, changeup and a four-seam fastball. PJ Morlando, the top pick of the 2024 Marlins draft class, has not been able to get it going, now slashing .176/.317/.283/.601 with four home runs, 22 RBI and a 77 wRC+. He is striking out 27.4% of the time. Going down to the complex league for a bit as a 21-year-old would be a tough pill to swallow, but that has to be on the table soon if he continues to show no signs of progress. FCL Marlins Another week of rookie ball brought more unusual storylines, highlighted by the FCL Marlins throwing a no-hitter and still losing the game. Jonas Uzcategui made three appearances this week and looked like the Uzcategui we have seen for most of the season in two of them before running into trouble on Monday. In his first appearance, he threw an inning without allowing a hit, though a walk eventually came around to score. Three days later, he tossed four innings and allowed just one hit and one walk while striking out two. Monday got away from him a bit as he allowed six runs on three hits and three walks. Unfortunately, that is the nature of rookie ball—one rough outing can overshadow several quality appearances because of how short the season is. Even with that start, Uzcategui has made some really big strides from last year. After a rough first month since coming stateside, Almen Tolentino has started to look like the player we saw last year in the DSL when he hit .301 with six home runs and 20 stolen bases. Over the last week, he went 5-for-16 (.312) and stole three bases, including one in each of his last three games. As the season goes on, the consistency should start to show. If it does, the Marlins could start seeing the same version of Tolentino that made such a strong impression a year ago. DSL Marlins & DSL Miami Catcher Carlos Martinez has had a very weird season, but he has made the most of every opportunity he has gotten. He has appeared in only seven games and has just 10 at-bats, but he is hitting .400 with a home run and only one strikeout. He appeared in four games this week but only received four at-bats, going 2-for-4 with two RBIs and a walk. The opportunities have been limited, but he continues to produce whenever his name is called. Last week, Evan Da Souza made his debut and ran into some trouble, but managed to escape without any damage. This week, he put that outing behind him and threw three scoreless innings while striking out five, walking two, and hitting a batter. Through his first two appearances, the control has been inconsistent, but the upside is obvious. He is definitely a player worth keeping an eye on. David Shirley entered the season as a career .297 hitter in the minors and has continued to swing the bat well, hitting .333 to start the year. This week, he went 5-for-13 (.385) with a home run. The strikeout rate has been a little high at 29%, but it is still a very small sample size. It will flatten out as he gets more at bats. He has arrived. After a rough first week of professional baseball where he hit .176 and struck out nine times in five games, Santiago Solarte broke out in a big way this week. He went 5-for-11 (.455), with most of the damage coming on Monday afternoon. The game included several firsts. He recorded his first career three-hit game and hit his first professional home run. Since that opening week, he has struck out just twice. Solarte continues to be a nightmare for opposing pitchers on the bases as well. He already has 11 stolen bases on the season and, before Monday, had stolen a base in four consecutive games. The tools that made him one of the organization's most exciting international signings are starting to show up consistently, and it looks like he is beginning to settle in after that slow start. Injuries/Rehab Kemp Alderman is back with Jacksonville after missing about a month due to a left elbow sprain. He served as their designated hitter on Tuesday. Griffin Conine and Eury Pérez are both rehabbing with the Jumbo Shrimp this week. Conine hopefully will rejoin the Marlins active roster following the series in Durham. For Pérez, he is scheduled to make multiple AAA rehab starts beginning on Thursday, when he is expected to go three to four innings and about 50 pitches. Noble Meyer (right shoulder strain) will make his second rehab start with Jupiter on Thursday. PJ Morlando exited Tuesday's Hammerheads game early soon after making a diving catch in the outfield. No word yet on the severity of the injury. This week's schedule Triple-A Jacksonville at Durham Double-A Pensacola vs. Birmingham High-A Beloit at Cedar Rapids Low-A Jupiter vs. Palm Beach FCL Marlins, DSL Marlins and DSL Miami vs. various opponents View full article

The Miami Marlins went into Citizens Bank Park riding plenty of momentum as winners of four straight series and owners of a 10-2 record in the month of June. They were very quickly humbled by the Philadelphia Phillies and Zack Wheeler. The veteran right-hander struck out a season-high nine in his club's 7-0 shutout of the Fish. Marlins manager Clayton McCullough believed that Miami's hitters would pose a greater challenge to Wheeler than they did when matched up with him at loanDepot park just over a month ago. In terms of results, it looked very similar this time around. Wheeler did match his season-high with three walks, but it wasn't enough for the Marlins, as they had one extra-base hit off of him, a double courtesy of Joe Mack in the top of the fifth inning. "We're moving ourselves into position where we feel like we can contend for postseason spots every year," McCullough said. "When you get into the postseason, this is what you're going to face, and it's not going to be easy. Runs are at a premium, baserunners are, so you just try to be as disciplined and diligent to your plan as you can be, and hopefully the more exposure our group continues to get against a lot of frontline guys that it will bode well for them." On the flipside, the Marlins went with Ryan Gusto, who has taken one of the spots in the rotation due to injuries to both Eury Pérez and Janson Junk. In 4 ⅔ innings of work, Gusto allowed five runs on eight hits, three walks and only struck out one. In the bottom of the second inning, Gusto surrendered the first career home run to Florida Atlantic product Gabriel Rincones Jr. Gusto left a sweeper hanging that Rincones was able to take 385 feet deep to right field and give the Phillies an early 1-0 lead. A two run bottom of the third and fourth innings would be the final blows and Gusto couldn't make it out of the fifth inning. "Battled very well," McCullough said. "He'd been a little under the weather the last few days and I think that caught up to him a little bit today. I think some of the two-K execution is where he can take some steps." If there is one positive to take away from this game, it was that William Kempner. In 2 1/3 innings, he kept the Phillies offense at bay, not allowing a hit, no walks and struck out two. Acquired from the San Francisco Giants in exchange for international pool money in January 2025, Kempner earned a selection to the 40-man roster this past offseason and was recalled from Triple-A Jacksonville on May 30. His ERA remains at 0.00 in six MLB appearances since then. "Will has got a terrific arm," McCullough said. "Limited major league sample to this point. We love his stuff, and we believe Will can be for us down the road. Right now, every opportunity he gets to go out there is just very good experience for him to continue to learn from." With the loss, the Marlins drop back down to a game below .500 at 36-37. Looking at the standings, they are still two games out of the final National League Wild Card spot. Tyler Phillips, the former Phillies pitcher, will get the start on Tuesday at 6:40 pm. He will go opposite of former Marlins lefty Jesus Luzardo. View full article

Going into the season, the Miami Marlins bullpen was seen as one of the strengths of the ball club. Through 72 games, that has proven to be the case, even though injuries have taken their toll and some pitchers are taken on different roles than originally planned. Following the team's fourth straight series win, this time against the Pittsburgh Pirates, the Marlins bullpen has a 3.49 ERA (eighth in MLB), 3.67 FIP (fourth), 9.73 K/9 (fourth) and 4.49 BB/9 (23rd). In the month of June, where they are 10-2, the bullpen has a 2.81 ERA, 2.99 FIP, 11.25 K/9 and 4.50 BB/9. Their win streak was snapped at six games on Saturday against the Pirates. "They throw really, really good stuff," said bullpen coach Brandon Mann. "They have stuff that they can compete in the zone with, and I think you see that we get a lot of swing-and-miss out of our guys. We attack guys early and we try to get punchies when we have advantage counts." One of the most lethal individual pitches this year has been Anthony Bender's sweeper (plus-9 run value). It currently grades out as the second-best sweeper in baseball, behind Shohei Ohtani (plus-11), and easily the best amongst all relief pitchers. Bender's sweeper has 19.9 inches of horizontal break on average. Last year, it had 16.8 inches of horizontal break. The Major League Baseball average for sweepers in 2026 is 14.6 inches, per FanGraphs. It wasn't all sunshine a rainbows for Bender in 2026, as in his first 10 appearances of the season were rough. Along with a 7.56 ERA, he blew two games, walked eight hitters and surrendered seven runs. The only positive was that he had a 3.83 FIP in that span, meaning he was running into some bad luck. In his next 20 games, he has a 1.29 ERA, 2.01 FIP and has struck out 24 hitters and only walked three. Overall, Bender now has a 3.07 ERA, 2.53 FIP, 11.05 K/9 (career-high) and 3.38 BB/9 in 30 appearances. Lake Bachar, who the Marlins claimed off waivers from the San Diego Padres in the midst of the 2024 season, has been one of the most crucial pieces of the bullpen. With injuries in the starting rotation, Bachar has had to start three of the Marlins bullpen games. In his first two starts, he has been perfect, going 5 ⅔ innings, striking out six in the process. On Saturday against the Pittsburgh Pirates, Bachar went two innings, allowing one run on one hit, walked one and struck out four. "It’s not out of the realm possibility to see someone like Lake continue to get stretched out because he has shown he’s got a lot of weapons that can go through a lineup a couple of times," Marlins manager Clayton McCullough told reporters in Pittsburgh about Bachar. Bachar's pitch mix isn't typical of a reliever, as he has six pitches in his arsenal, but all of them have been either at league average, or above that in terms of run value. His two best pitches thus far have been the slider and sweeper, both sporting Run Values of three. The slider has generated a 45.5% whiff rate and 45.7% PutAway rate, the highest of all his pitches and in his career. It is his also second most used pitched this season (24%). One incorporation into his already extensive arsenal is a curveball, which he has thrown 12.6% of the time. In his start against the Pirates, Bachar threw it 21% of the time, generating two whiffs, but did not strike anyone out with that pitch. Overall, the curveball has a 38.7% whiff rate rate and 27.6% PutAway rate. It has a Run Value of one. Bachar also added a two-seamer, which is also known as a sinker to his arsenal. The first time he threw it in game was in his second start of the season, which came against the Tampa Bay Rays. He threw it 13% of the time in that start, only using it against right-handed hitters. In three appearances (two starts) using the sinker, he's only thrown is 11 times (1.8%), his least used pitch, but has a 20% whiff rate, but hasn't struck anyone out with it yet. "It graded out as his best pitch (on Saturday)," Mann said the day after his start against Tampa. "Being able to bring something new into the mix, now he has more of an east-west profile and a north-south that profile really opens up more opportunities for Bachar to face lefties and righties." In 22 appearances (three starts), Bachar has a 3.05 ERA, 3.70 FIP, 10.57 K/9 and 3.05 BB/9. It is uncertain wether Bachar will continue to be the Marlins starter when they have a bullpen game, but he certainly has given the team quality innings and length to save the overall bullpen a little bit more. When the Marlins signed lefty John King to a one-year deal, they expected him to be used in certain pockets that they didn't have the luxury of using a left-handed pitcher in last season because they only had one. Early in the season, King was exactly that. In his first 10 appearances, King posted a 1.04 ERA, but 4.61 FIP. Since then, he has a 3.10 ERA and 3.99 FIP. In the bullpen games, King has already had to make one start, which came in Queens against the New York Mets. For the most part, King continues to be used in certain pockets, but his usage has gone up, leading the Marlins with 31 games pitched this season. King's secondaries weren't very good in 2025, so he is throwing them less and relying more on his sinker (plus-3 RV) and slider (plus-1 RV). The sinker (32.3% usage rate) has generated a 22.4% whiff rate and 27.6% PutAway rate. Although it is his third most used pitch, King's changeup is getting the most whiff (33.3%) and his sweeper, the fourth most used pitch and new to his arsenal, is putting hitters way the most (25%). After struggling against right-handed hitters in 2025, he is now dominating them, as they are slashing .152/.250/.239/.489 with one home run in 52 plate appearances. Fish On First spoke to King early in the season and after meetings with the pitching staff in the organization, they cut down his sinker usage (now at 32.3%) and bumped up his slider and sweeper usage. In 31 appearances, King has a 2.48 ERA, 4.17 FIP, 6.83 K/9 and 2.48 BB/9. His high FIP is due to his hard-hit% ranking in the 85th percentile, barrel percentage going up from 5.1% in 2025 to 8.1% Hitters overall are just able to attack King more, but his high ground ball rate and strong defense behind him have allowed him to find success in 2026. The final name we will dive into is closer Pete Fairbanks. It's been mixed results so far for the $13M man. The Marlins have made it clear that they will avoid using the flamethrower in any situation where the team is down. If they are tied or leading in a game that falls under a save situation (winning by three or less), Fairbanks will go out there. He has been used in the ninth inning in all but one situation this season. Fairbanks has a 6.75 ERA, 4.75 FIP, 13.05 K/9, 4.95 BB/9 and nine saves in 22 appearances this season. He did land on the injured list just one time this season, but the overall lower usage rate has been because of the situations Miami is looking to use him in. In his most recent appearance, which came in a save situation against the Pirates, Fairbanks surrendered one home run, but struck out two in the process. "I think he's trending," Mann said. "I think the the numbers don't necessarily match up with with how I think he's personally pitched. I know his ERA versus his xERA is very, very different. He's punching out guys at a very high clip...He goes the next 17 innings and givea up one run, we're talking about how great Pete's been. I think he is trending in that that way." The cutter which showed good results towards the end of the 2025 season and throughout all of spring training, it has a negative Run Value. The pitch has generated a 31.4% whiff rate and 17.4% PutAway rate. The slider, which he is throwing 18.6% of the time in 2026, has been his best PutAway pitch (34.6%). After plenty of doubts on a low strikeout rate the previous two seasons, his 13.05 K/9 is the highest its been since the 2023 season (13.50). Other names who have made an impact is Michael Petersen, who in 27 appearances has a 3.07 ERA, 2.76 FIP, 10.43 K/9 and 3.99 BB/9. The recently called up William Kempner has a 0.00 ERA, 1.60 FIP, 10.80 K/9 and 2.70 BB/9 in five appearances. Kempner has been used in more lower-leverage situations, but has thrived thus far. Overall, the bullpen has some nasty stuff, proving to be strikeout machines, but their sustainability is in question if the Marlins continue to rely on bullpen games every fifth day. Also, the group's high walk rate will eventually come back to bite them if it is not addressed. For now, it is worth admiring how good they have been. View full article