Kevin Barral

The month of June continues to bring incredible joy to Miami Marlins fans. With a 8-3 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Friday, the Marlins are winners of nine out of their last 10 games since the calendar flipped. This latest victory also featured a major milestone for Sandy Alcantara, who surpassed 1,000 strikeouts in his MLB career. Entering his start, Alcantara was five strikeouts away from 1,000. In the bottom of the fourth inning, he struck out Pirates rookie Tyler Callihan looking with his sweeper. The right-hander finished his night going eight innings, allowing three runs on five hits (two home runs) with one walk and seven strikeouts. Alcantara was one of four players acquired by the Marlins in the 2017 trade that sent Marcell Ozuna to the St. Louis Cardinals. He won the NL Cy Young Award in unanimous fashion in 2022 and has made it to two All-Star games. There has been some adversity, including Tommy John surgery in October 2023 and an extended slump to begin the 2025 season, but Alcantara has since gotten back to be an extremely valuable workhorse for the Fish. Alcantara's first 10 strikeouts were recorded as a member of the Cardinals. His Marlins total of 991 trails only Ricky Nolasco (1,001). Expect Alcantara to take over that franchise record by the end of this month. Against a Pittsburgh team missing starting shortstop Konnor Griffin and center fielder Oneil Cruz due to injuries, Alcantara generated 11 total whiffs, with four of those coming on his sinker. Of his seven strikeouts, three of them came on his nasty changeup. He was his usual efficient self, averaging 12.8 pitches per inning. Alcantara has now tossed at least eight innings in 33 starts with Miami, tied with Dontrelle Willis for the most such outings by a starter in franchise history. "We've seen three in a row where he's put together some high-end performances, but really, all year long, the innings he's been able to accumulate and what that does every fifth/sixth day," McCullough said. "Going into tomorrow which is a bullpen game, for him to give us eight innings and to get another win behind him, is great. He is in a good groove right now." Alcantara has completed seven innings of more in three straight starts, surrendering three or less runs in all of them. His ERA in June is 2.86. Through 15 starts this season, he has a 4.25 ERA, 4.14 FIP, 6.57 K/9 and 2.13 BB/9 while leading Major League Baseball with 97 ⅓ innings pitched. In the bottom of the third inning, Alcantara surrendered an RBI single to Jared Triolo, giving the Pirates a 1-0 lead. The Marlins tied and took the lead in the top of the fifth inning, as Otto Lopez had an RBI groundout and Kyle Stowers drove in Liam Hicks on an RBI single. The only downside to Alcantara's night were the two home runs he allowed—one in the top of the fifth inning to Endy Rodríguez, tying the game at two, and another in the eighth inning to Brandon Lowe, making it an 8-3 game. Miami's offense exploded in the top of the seventh inning, rallying for four runs. It all started with a sacrifice fly from Xavier Edwards, bringing Liam Hicks home. Heriberto Hernández added an RBI single and Owen Caissie capped off the inning with a two-run RBI double. Hicks sealed the deal in the top of the eighth inning, hitting his team-leading 13th home run of the season off the right field foul pole. Now at 50 RBI this season, Hicks has become one of six players in baseball with 50 or more RBI this season. "Feel like the lineup has lengthened out now and we are able to mount innings from different parts of the lineup and that's a good sign," McCullough said. The Marlins' winning percentage is now back at .500 for the first time since April 24, when they had a 13-13 record. They also have baseball's longest winning streak and are just one game out of the third National League Wild Card spot. Lake Bachar will open what will be a bullpen game on Saturday at 4:05 pm. Fish On First's Nate Karzmer will have boots on ground in Pittsburgh as the Marlins aim for their fourth straight series win. View full article

MIAMI, FL—Following Tuesday's Miami Marlins win over the Arizona Diamondbacks, catcher Joe Mack sent a message to the entire league: "I want them to steal. I'm hoping that they steal. I'm like, 'Please run.' It's my favorite part of my game and I know my ability to throw people out and get a guy off scoring position." Throughout the 2025 season and continuing through the first month or so of 2026, the Marlins struggled mightily against opposing base-stealers. Mack's call-up immediately flipped that weakness into a strength. The rookie has thrown out 10 runners on 26 attempts, ranking in the 90th percentile of MLB catchers in caught stealing above average, per Baseball Savant. His combination of pop time (1.89 seconds) and accuracy is elite despite his limited experience. Mack claimed another victim on Tuesday against the Diamondbacks when he threw out Geraldo Perdomo in the top of the second inning. On a night when Marlins starter Max Meyer allowed more traffic on the bases than usual, that extra out helped him work into the sixth inning. "It takes a little bit more pressure off the pitcher, and they can pitch a little bit more loosely," Mack told Fish On First. Amongst the runners that Mack has thrown out include Chandler Simpson (96th percentile sprint speed), Nasim Nuñez (97th percentile sprint speed) and Jacob Young (95th percentile sprint speed). Manager Clayton McCullough has leaned heavily on Mack—prior to Wednesday's day off, he had caught seven consecutive complete games. The Marlins won six of those seven, allowing only 3.3 runs per game during that span. "Someone like Joe has the ability to make up for some pitchers that are a little slower...He's thrown out some real runners and come up with some big throws, so I think that part has really helped out on the run prevention side of things." Defense really became a priority for Mack in 2024. Former Marlins catching coordinator Chris Briones, who was with the organization from December 2018 until January 2026, was a big influence on him. "He just had a lot of good things for me to hear," Mack said. "Just really connected with me very well. He would always joke with me, make me feel comfortable and make me feel out of my comfort zone as well. It was just a great experience then, and I take a lot of pride in that." Mack has been Meyer's battery mate in each of his last six starts. "Everyone sees it: he's got a cannon," Meyer said. "Just having him back there is awesome. He's got his feet wet now and he's been challenging well, too. He knows the game. He's able to those runners, so it's awesome having a guy back there that can do that and takes off a lot of pressure to the pitchers too in innings where you know that if they steal, there is a very good chance that they are going to get hosed, so just makes you execute a bit better." Fish On First (@fishonfirst) • Instagram photos and videos WWW.INSTAGRAM.COM 2,660 likes, 22 comments - fishonfirst on June 9, 2026: "JOE MACK IS UNREAL BEHIND THE PLATE 😳🔥 Joe Mack has already thrown out 10 runners this season, and his confidence is... Mack has brought a loose and fun personality to the Marlins clubhouse that his teammates appreciate, in particular starting pitcher Sandy Alcantara. Alcantara has called Mack a Gold Glove-caliber catcher and continuously praised him." "Just hearing that from him, especially a Cy Young Award winner and great pitcher through and through, is awesome," Mack said. "Bunch of these guys are also awesome pitchers. I'm just here to help them be their best selves, and if I can do that by catching the ball, blocking the ball, throwing guys out for them, then that's awesome. If I can also do that, helping them by talking with them, making them laugh or making them lock it in a little bit more, whatever it may be, then great." As a bonus, Mack has settled in as a hitter as well following a very slow start in that department. So far in the month of June, he is slashing .391/.417/.565/.982 with one home run and seven RBI. His overall wRC+ is 75. "I think it's lowering my hands a little bit to be more consistent and more short with my load," Mack said. "I think that's something that helps me be more consistent throughout and also just maintaining the backside and opposite part of the field is a big part of my game. When I'm going hot over there, pull-side stuff will happen." Thanks to his defense, Mack is already making a positive impact for the Marlins. If he continues to trend in this direction offensively and hit like an average catcher—MLB average for the position is a 88 wRC+—it would make it clear that the franchise has found its long-term solution behind the plate. View full article

MIAMI, FL - Otto Lopez is an All-Star. It's as simple as that. The Marlins shortstop tallied his 27th multi-hit performance and ninth three-hit game of the season. He hit the go-ahead RBI single in the bottom of the eighth inning to give the Miami Marlins what ended up being a 10-6 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks, the sixth victory in their last seven games. Lopez, who the Marlins acquired off waivers from the San Francisco Giants in 2024, has turned into one of, if not the best acquisition of the Peter Bendix era. Going into Tuesday's game, he has accumulated 9.3 bWAR in 325 games as a member of the organization. Lopez leads all major league shortstops in batting average (.341), hits (89), is second in total bases (128), OPS (.859) and third in on-base percentage (.369). With Cincinnati's Elly De La Cruz currently injured, the only National League shortstop with a similar All-Star case is CJ Abrams of the Washington Nationals. "This has been a hitting machine since day one of the season and he's played a high-level defense," McCullough said when making a case for Lopez to represent the organization in the Midsummer Classic. "There's hard to find someone at that position in our league that's having a better year offensively than he is with the average, the clutch hits and the extra base hits. He's really doing it on both sides of the ball, and he's making a very strong case for himself each and every day." In the top of the eighth inning, with the Marlins leading, 6-3, they summoned Tyler Zuber out of the bullpen. He surrendered a walk, hit by pitch and after recording the first out of the inning, he loaded the bases on another walk. He was taken out in place of Calvin Faucher, who allowed a two-run RBI double from Ketel Marte followed by an RBI groundout from Corbin Carroll. That tied the game, 6-6. The Diamondbacks went with Brandyn Garcia in the bottom of the eighth and Joe Mack knocked in his fourth hit of the ballgame, followed by Connor Norby getting hit by a pitch. After a questionable bunt attempt from the Marlins RBI leader Liam Hicks, Otto Lopez hit a 105.3 mph RBI single up the middle, scoring Mack from second to take a 7-6 lead. That would be the first of four runs in the bottom of the eighth. Javier Sanoja smacked a two-run RBI single and Esteury Ruiz capped the inning off with an RBI double, giving the Marlins a comfortable 10-6 lead which Pete Fairbanks was able to hold. Both Sanoja and Ruiz continue to be strong assets off the bench. Ruiz improved his overall slash line to .212/.311/.500/.811 with three home runs, seven RBI, 11 stolen bases and a 121 wRC+. Sanoja, is now hitting .266/.315/.381/.696 with two home runs, 24 RBI and a 95 wRC+. Joe Mack, who became the youngest catcher in Marlins history (23 years and 164 days) to record four hits in a game, is now slashing .391/.417/.565/.982 with one home run and seven RBI in the month of June. He also threw out his 10th runner on the season. "Some of the takes, getting himself into better counts and just seeing him really slow things down in the batter's box," McCullough said. "He is a talented offensive player, and I think once he got it himself 20-25 plate appearances under his belt, just seeing some of the aggression toned down." Max Meyer got the start for the Marlins and set the franchise record for most starts without a loss to begin a season (14). He went 5 1/3 innings, allowing two runs on seven hits, two walks and struck out five. With the win, the Marlins are now 32-35, three games under .500 and three games out of the third and final National League Wild Card spot. Ryan Gusto is slated to start for the Marlins on Tuesday at 6:40 pm. Ryne Nelson will take the mound for the D-backs. View full article

For the 2026 season, Fish On First will provide weekly reports on the Miami Marlins farm system, covering all levels. Here's the second June edition of our Fish On First Prospects Report, which includes a full week of Dominican Summer League observations. This report covers the games played from June 2-8. Triple-A Jacksonville You couldn't have asked for a better start to Gage Miller's Triple-A stint. Through his first seven games, Miller is hitting .409/.536/.636/1.172 with one home run, eight RBI and a 215 wRC+. Between Double-A and Triple-A, Miller is slashing .301/.403/.478/.881 with five home runs, 30 RBI and a 140 wRC+. Miller, a third-round pick in the 2024 MLB Draft, got off to a slow start to his professional career, but has really turned it around this season. Never say never, but if he keeps hitting the way he is and the Marlins cannot solve their short-term issue at third base, maybe he can be a late-season call-up. The Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp held a bobblehead night for Jacob Berry. So far in 49 games, he is slashing .278/.400/.385/.785 with two home runs, 21 RBI, 16 stolen bases and a 119 wRC+. Defensively, it has been an adventure, but has primarily split time between third base and right field. The Marlins promoted right-handed pitcher and Fish On First No. 10 prospect Karson Milbrandt to Triple-A Jacksonville. His first start with the Jumbo Shrimp came on Saturday, where he tossed six shutout innings, allowing two hits and walking three. His lone strikeout of the night came in the top of the third inning when he got Brock Wilken with a called strike three. Milbrandt's fastball topped out at 96.5 mph and averaged 95.2 mph. He also threw his slider, sweeper and curveball. Where he did struggle was landing first-pitch strikes, only having a 55% success rate. Opposing hitters averaged an exit velocity of 83.0 mph. On the injury front, we now have clearly timelines for the returns of three FOF Top 30 talents Kemp Alderman (left elbow sprain) should be back by the end of June. Maximo Acosta (right thumb UCL sprain) underwent surgery on May 19. He's due to return shortly after the All-Star break. Finally, FOF #1 prospect Thomas White suffered a left shoulder capsular sprain on May 17. The team announced a recovery timeline of 12-16 weeks, but the expectation internally is that he will likely miss the remainder of the regular season. If that is the case, White will finish his 2026 season posting a 4.34 ERA, 4.70 FIP, 12.05 K/9 and 4.34 BB/9 in five AAA starts. Double-A Pensacola Following a good ending to May, the Wahoos got off a sluggish start in June dropping four of six to Chattanooga and squandering an opportunity take over their division lead. The team’s bats were particularly asleep: Pensacola scored just 13 runs in the entire series. In many cases, the initial promotion and significant leap from the lower minors to the upper minors is a rude wake-up call for prospects. That was no such thing this past week for Eliazar Dishmey. The 21-year-old righty came out of the gates firing on all cylinders in his new Blue Wahoos threads, completely shutting down the Lookouts for five innings, disallowing a hit. Ultimately, he worked a quality start, going six innings and allowing one run on just one hit while walking one and striking out nine. Dishmey topped out at 94 and dipped to 74 mph. He recorded strikeouts with three different pitches. The Southern League acknowledged his excellence by honoring him as their Pitcher of the Week. The opportunity to play every day in the FCL appears to be helping his confidence. If he continues performing like this, a return to Jupiter could come sooner rather than later. Edgardo De Leon has become a weekly fixture in these recaps, and for good reason. So far in June, he is hitting .538 (7-for-13) with two home runs. He has also drawn four walks compared to just two strikeouts. On the bases, he has stolen six bags, including a three-steal game. For the season, De Leon is slashing .351 with five doubles and four home runs. Of his 20 hits, nine have gone for extra bases. He has more walks than strikeouts, is 7-for-8 in stolen base attempts, and owns a .649 slugging percentage, the third-highest mark in the FCL. His time in the FCL fittingly has come to an end. He earned a promotion to Jupiter on Tuesday. Through the first week of June, Breyias Dean is hitting .364 (4-for-11) with a pair of home runs. On the season, he owns a .362 batting average with nine extra-base hits, including four doubles, one triple, and four home runs. His .672 slugging percentage ranks second in the FCL. Perhaps most impressively, he has already surpassed his walk total from all of last season. While his .425 BABIP suggests some regression is likely coming, his improved plate discipline gives reason to believe much of the breakout is legitimate. The numbers may come down slightly, but Dean appears to have made real adjustments at the plate. DSL Marlins & DSL Miami Santiago Solarte, Fish On First's No. 18 prospect, wasted little time making an impact, recording two multi-hit games during his first week of professional baseball. The Marlins were thrilled to sign him for $1 million. While the power has yet to show up, Solarte has already stolen five bases. His ability to get on base has been impressive, drawing two walks and getting hit by four pitches. Through his first week, he is hitting .263 with a .440 OBP and .316 SLG. He has struck out nine times in 19 at-bats, but as he continues to acclimate to professional baseball, those numbers should improve. Listed at 6-foot-1 and just 142 pounds, Justin Batista has not let his frame hold him back. Through seven innings, he owns a 1.29 ERA with 11 strikeouts, a 0.71 WHIP, and only two hits allowed. On Monday afternoon, Batista threw four hitless innings while striking out seven and walking two, giving the bullpen plenty of room to finish off the organization's first no-hitter of the season. While the DSL is often considered pitcher-friendly because of inconsistent command and limited offensive environments, Daniel Pire has been one of the league's better hitters early on. Through 20 at-bats, he is hitting .350 with a double and a triple while striking out just once and drawing two walks. One area to monitor is his 2.0 GO/AO ratio, which suggests he is putting the ball on the ground more often than ideal. Like many young hitters, the numbers will likely level out as the sample size grows, but the early plate discipline has been encouraging. This week's schedule Triple-A Jacksonville vs. Gwinnett Double-A Pensacola at Columbus High-A Beloit vs. Quad Cities Low-A Jupiter at Daytona FCL Marlins, DSL Marlins and DSL Miami vs. various opponents View full article

MIAMI, FL - After a rough weekend in Queens, where the New York Mets swept the Miami Marlins, they bounced back and have now won five out of six games and two straight series. It was capped off with a 4-1 win over the Tampa Bay Rays. For the first time since April 1st and 7th, Marlins starting pitcher Sandy Alcantara has completed seven innings or more in back-to-back starts. After his worst start of the season against the Toronto Blue Jays, Alcantara has flipped the switch. On Sunday against a good Tampa Bay Rays team, he went seven innings, allowing one run on five hits and one walk while striking out seven. Alcantara is now five strikeouts away from 1,000 in his career and has now surpassed Josh Johnson on the franchise's all-time wins leader list, moving into third place. Ricky Nolasco holds the most wins (81) in franchise history. "I think it's a lot of strikeouts," Alcantara said in Spanish. "I thought that I should've gotten there a long time ago, but because of the injury, that held me back...1,000 strikeouts are coming up and excited for the opportunity and hopefully I can stay healthy for many more years and to do it with this organization that is giving me the opportunity to be here everyday to come out onto this field every fifth day and compete." The lone run Alcantara surrendered came in the top of the third inning. Yandy Diaz knocked in an RBI single to give the Rays a 1-0 lead. Sandy went on to shutout the Rays offense the rest of the way through. With recent starting pitching injuries, the Marlins have been forced to have multiple bullpen games. In a way, Alcantara going deep into games gives the pen a reset day and with the off day on Monday, everyone should be available for Tuesday's game against the Diamondbacks. Following Sunday's start, Alcantara leads Major League Baseball with 89 1/3 innings pitched, just ahead of Philadelphia Phillies starter Christopher Sanchez. "You kind of circle his day, when he's going to pitch," Clayton McCullough said postgame. "You feel like you can bank six or more innings from him, and that's what really he's done all season long and especially over the last couple. Not only the length, but the quality he's had in a terrific year as a whole." Alcantara had his defense making plays behind him as well through most of his start as well. In the top of the first inning, Kyle Stowers snatched a 104.1 mph lineout from Richie Palacios that would've very likely been an extra-base hit. In the fourth inning, Javier Sanoja stole an extra-base hit from Junior Caminero, as he ended up grounding into a double-play. Owen Caissie then stole a home run from Cedric Mullins. In the top of the seventh, Alcantara struck out Victor Mesa Jr., but Joe Mack threw out Mullins, who was trying to steal second. Originally called safe, the Marlins challenged the call and it was overturned for the double-play. "I feel great when they get execute those plays out there," Alcantara said. "It's more easy and fresh when they make those plays for you out there. You feel more comfortable." Rays recently turned starter Griffin Jax kept the Marlins offense at bay, shutting them out for five innings of work. The Marlins got to the Rays bullpen in the bottom of the sixth inning with Garrett Cleavinger on the mound. Liam Hicks worked a walk and Otto Lopez drove him in on an RBI triple, his third of the season. It tied the game at one apiece. Kyle Stowers then drove Lopez in on a sacrifice fly, giving the Marlins a 2-1 lead with Alcantara on the mound. In the bottom of the seventh inning, McCullough deployed Esteury Ruiz off his bench to hit for Owen Caissie. Ruiz worked a fourth straight walk. Jakob Marsee followed him with a walk as well and they went for a double steal, which was successful. Joe Mack grounded into a fielder's choice and catcher Hunter Feduccia was not able to make the grab when the throw from shortstop Taylor Walls came in, allowing both Ruiz and Marsee to score, extending the Marlins lead, 4-1. Ruiz, who the Marlins acquired from the Los Angeles Dodgers over the offseason has been what the Marlins needed and potentially even more. In 32 games with the Marlins, he is slashing .196/.300/.471/.771 with three home runs, six RBI and a 110 wRC+. Ruiz stole his 11th base of the season, joining Marsee (16), Xavier Edwards (11) and Lopez (10) as the Marlins are now the only team in the Majors with four players with 10-or-more swiped bags on the season. The Marlins continue to lead Major League Baseball with 76 stolen bases. "The amount of pressure that he puts on people, the opposing pitchers and catchers when he's on base, and you see the amount of pick-offs," McCullough said. "Then his ability to get extra 90 feet, he goes and does a lot of great things on the bases. I think that is the inherent pressure that and the stress he puts on people when he's out there." With the win, the Marlins improve to 31-35 on the season, now just four games below .500 and 3.5 games out of the final Wild Card spot. The Marlins will have a day off on Monday and are back at it on Tuesday to begin a three game set against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Max Meyer is slated to face former Marlin Zac Gallen at 6:40 pm EST. View full article

Marlins right-hander Tyler Zuber speaks with the media about finally recording his first career save on Saturday after entering in a bases-loaded jam and striking out Junior Caminero. View full video

With the seventh pick in the 2025 MLB Draft, the Miami Marlins selected Oregon State shortstop Aiva Arquette. At the time, he was considered the best collegiate bat in the draft. The Marlins then took Clemson outfielder Cam Cannarella with the 43rd pick of the draft. Less than a year later, Arquette and Cannarella are now ranked No. 7 and No. 11 on the Fish On First Top 30 prospects list, respectively. Despite being hampered by injuries early on in their professional careers, they have been as good as advertised. Aiva Arquette Arquette is unlike any other prospect in the Marlins system because of the unique size he brings to the shortstop position at 6’5″, 220 pounds. He began the 2026 season on the injured list while recovering from core muscle surgery and has since split time between High-A Beloit and Double-A Pensacola. Overall, he is slashing .260/.321/.480/.801 with four home runs, 22 RBI and a 107 wRC+. He is striking out at a 22.0% rate, which is better than average for those levels. With a quick, uppercut swing, Arquette has posted a hard-hit rate of 50% so far this season, according to Ian Cundall of Baseball America. His 90th-percentile exit velocity of 109.5 mph also jumps out. If Arquette can maintain that kind of batted ball quality, he will hit 15-20 home runs per year hitter at the highest level. Defensively, Arquette has split time between shortstop and second base. Third base is where he may be best suited with his strong arm and that could also allow him to find a quicker path to everyday playing time in the big leagues with the Marlins. Cam Cannarella Cannarella, who stands at 6'0", 185 pounds, doesn't have the same raw power as Arquette. The former Clemson outfielder is still having an incredible offensive season. Between High-A and Double-A, he is slashing .372/.418/.523/.942 with three home runs, 22 RBI and a 144 wRC+. Cannarella has been limited to 23 games because he fractured his wrist in the outfield on April 11 and missed the next five weeks. Just like he did during his college days, Cannarella has been walking (9.2 BB%) nearly as often as he strikes out (11.2 K%). In the batter's box, Cannarella keeps his hands head high, swinging down at the ball more than Arquette does and therefore generating less power. However, his swing allows him to spray the ball around the entire field. He is still capable of an impressive slugging percentage by consistently hitting line drives and using his speed to pick up extra bases. On the base paths, it has been surprising that Cannarella is running so selectively, especially in a Marlins org that encourages aggressiveness. He's at four steals through his first 45 MiLB games Defensively, Cannarella is currently a 70-grade defender. The biggest limitation is his arm strength, which has been limited ever since he underwent surgery at Clemson for a labrum injury. That concern was a key reason why he fell in the draft as much as he did. Next steps in their development Arquette, who is now 22 years old, is close to big league ready. If he continues to hit well in Double-A, he could potentially get a taste of Triple-A ball before the end of 2026 and come into 2027 spring training fighting for a spot on the Marlins Opening Day roster. He is blocked by Otto Lopez and Xavier Edwards at the middle infield spots, but perhaps the Marlins would sell high on one of them in the offseason as they enter their arbitration years, or Arquette could simply be converted to a third baseman. Cannarella is also 22 years old, but there is even more organizational depth at his position. As a result, the most likely scenario is he remains in Pensacola into 2027 and potentially gets called up to the majors at the very end of that season. View full article

For the 2026 season, Fish On First will provide weekly reports on the Miami Marlins farm system, covering all levels. Here's the first June edition of our Fish On First Prospects Report, which includes another wave of promotions and releases, plus the start of the Dominican Summer League campaign. This report covers the games played from May 26-June 1. Triple-A Jacksonville As part of all the prospect promotions this past week, infielder Gage Miller was assigned to Triple-A. Selected in the third round of the 2024 MLB Draft out of Alabama, Miller was slashing .275/.368/.440/.807 with four home runs, 22 RBI and a 117 wRC+ in Double-A Pensacola. Through his first four games with Jacksonville, Miller is 6-for-17 with two doubles, one home run and five RBI. Miller hit his first AAA home run on Saturday in the top of the second inning off Charlotte Knights starting pitcher Jonathan Cannon. The ball left the bat at 100.7 mph. The 23-year-old has spent most of his career splitting time between second and third base. In releasing Cody Morissette on Tuesday, the Marlins are creating regular playing time for Miller to prove he can sustain this breakout season. Promoted alongside Miller was Payton Green (Fish On First's No. 28 prospect). In 33 games with Pensacola, he slashed .240/.345/.470/.815 with four home runs, 10 RBI, 10 stolen bases and a 114 wRC+. Green is 3-for-17 with an RBI and five walks through four games. Just like Miller, Green is 23 years old and has split time between third base and shortstop, with some second base sprinkled in there. He likely won't be called up this season, but he could set himself to be a non-roster invitee next spring and compete for a bench spot at the big league level. In 17 games since he was optioned down to the minor leagues, Agustin Ramirez s hitting .284/.365/.486/.851 with four home runs and 11 RBI. Defensively he hasn't been showing much improvement, though. Through his first six games with his new organization, Rece Hinds is slashing .318/.444/.500/.944 with one home run and two RBI. The Marlins acquired Hinds last week in a trade that sent reliever Zach McCambley to the Cincinnati Reds. Between both organizations, Hinds is slashing .308/.427/.607/1.034 with eight home runs, 22 RBI and a 166 wRC+. The Marlins signed right-handed pitcher Amos Willingham to a minor league deal this week and he officially was activated. Willingham comes from the Houston Astros organization where in 11 appearances, he posted a 3.38 ERA, 5.09 FIP, 6.08 K/9 and 7.43 BB/9. He was released by the Astros on May 6. Willingham made his major league debut during the 2023 season with the Washington Nationals, but has not been back since. Left-handed pitcher Christian McLeod is another new minor league free agent signing. He was recently promoted to Triple-A where in one appearance, he threw a shutout inning. In his first start with the Jumbo Shrimp, McLeod went three shutout innings, allowing just two hits and two walks while striking out one. Ryan Gusto will pitch for the Marlins against the Washington Nationals on Tuesday. Through 10 Triple-A games (seven starts), Gusto has a 3.83 ERA, 3.51 FIP, 10.48 K/9 and 3.43 BB/9. The one previous appearance Gusto made at the big league level this season came on April 8 against the Cincinnati Reds, where he threw one inning, striking one out in the process. Double-A Pensacola Highlighted by a 23-run explosion in their game at historic Rickwood Field as well as the arrival of multiple top 30 organizational prospects, the Wahoos had a standout week against Birmingham as they split the series three games a piece. Pensacola is 26-25 on the season, two games out of their division lead. Simply put with Fenwick Trimble, the guy just makes contact and gets on base. That was especially evident for the 23-year-old this past week when he went 10-for-29 with two homers and two doubles. This included a five-hit game during the aforementioned Rickwood Field contest. Not only were the five hits a personal record, it was the first such effort by a Pensacola player since 2023 when Dane Myers accomplished the feat. The performance was served as the exclamation point on an extremely solid month of May in which Trimble slashed .303/.345/.541. Trimble keeps working counts well and continues to exhibit great barrel control to cover the entire plate and then some. As the season has gotten older, he’s started to force opposing pitchers into the zone by improving his plate discipline. There’s still a bit of improving to do for Trimble when it comes to pulling the trigger on pitches within the zone, but his whiff rate continues to diminish. Additionally, Trimble has also exhibited some surprising pop, particularly to his pull side. He’s gone that way with fly balls a solid 16% of the time. The one thing still absent from Trimble’s game is walks. He’s taken free passes at just a 7.5% clip. Continuing to put his slow start behind him, Trimble is becoming a tough out and there’s still quite a bit more in the tank, especially if he can find the proper balance between patient and aggressive. He can play all three outfield spots but would be better served as a corner outfielder long term. Because of his solid contact rates, good speed and upside for at least average power, he’s an intriguing prospect trending in the right direction. A promotion to Triple-A could be in the cards for Trimble if this trajectory persists. Speaking of players who put slow starts behind them in May, enter Cristian Hernández. After slashing just .164/.247/.205 in April, the 22-year-old infielder fully adjusted to life at the Double-A level. This past month, he hit a robust .360/.417/.560 with six doubles and three homers. Hernández's latest export was an 11-for-20 effort against the Barons. Being humbled by a new league but then being able to adjust fairly quickly into the best version of yourself is no small task, but Hernández accomplished it with flying colors. His skill set is pretty enticing. At 6’2”, 200, Hernández is a good mix of hit and run. Touted highly for his bat speed, Hernández is another guy who can let the ball travel before committing to a swing. This past month, he started to show the ability to do so as well as the ability to be on time more consistently. After posting a 34% K rate in April, he shrunk that figure to 22% in May. The timeliness of his swings is also allowing him to tap into more power. Having entered the season never having topped seven home runs in a season, he’s already hit three. On the bases, Hernández continues to exhibit plus speed, graded as high as 60 on the 20-80 scale. He’s already up to 13 bags on the year. Defensively, Hernández has the raw skills to stick at shortstop but many evaluators have at times questioned his repetition. That along with the fact that Aiva Arquette has now arrived in Beloit may have Hernández moving off shortstop to second base in both the short and long term. That move may be advantageous to allow Hernández to continue to focus on offensive sustainability. Another guy on an upward offensive trajectory with plenty of time on his side, the 22-year-old’s prospect stock is rising. High-A Beloit Riding high after winning five of six last week, it was a tough end to May for the Sky Carp who dropped four of six to Lake County at home. Pitching struggled in the series, allowing 34 runs. Despite only allowing hits at a .220 clip which is second lowest in the Midwest League, Beloit pitching has struggled keeping the ball in the park. Their 55 home runs allowed are third most on the circuit. It’s been a disconnected season in terms of playing time already for Cam Cannarella due to a wrist injury he suffered in an outfield collision very early in the season. What hasn't been disconnected at any point though is his offensive production. Cannarella continued to absolutely punish High-A pitching in this series, going 11-for-27 with a triple, a home run, and eight RBI to earn our Prospect of the Week honors. Even from a split lefty stance in which he steps towards the ball, Cannarella owns pretty quiet and smooth mechanics. His bread and butter tool is extremely quick hands which allow the ball to travel before he executes a line-drive swing with a bit of natural upper cut. Cannarella has seem High-A pitching extremely well, exhibiting one of the best whiff rates in the league. The only small downside to his approach has been a zone swing percentage slightly below league average. Cannarella hasn’t walked much, but his penchant for making contact at a well above average clip more than makes up for that. Contact-oriented with the ability to spray the ball to all fields and decent speed, Connarella profiles as a top of the order for-average threat long term with the chance to build into some more power. He can also hold down center field well and shouldn’t have an issue sticking there long term. The only question is how will Cannarella fare against more advanced competition? We will start to get the answer to that question beginning this week as Fish On First has learned that the 22-year-old has been promoted to Double-A Pensacola. It will be interesting to see how reps are divided between Cannarella and the rest of Pensacola’s outfielders because all of them need and deserve starting reps. For Cannarella specifically, he would advantageously continue to see reps in center field where his skill set will be of most value. If Cannarella can continue to show plus plate discipline and get on base against Double-A stuff, he will start to play closer to his ceiling of an every day outfielder. At the very least, he has a solid fourth outfielder floor. After a rough start to the season in cold weather, Liomar Martinez finished off a solid month of May in grand fashion. Pitching into at least the fifth for a fourth time in five starts, the 20-year-old righty nearly completed a quality start, tossing 6 ⅔ frames of two run ball on just two hits and four walks. Martinez’s swing-and-miss stuff was on full display as he racked up a career-high 12 punchouts. More consistently as the season progresses, we are seeing what Martinez can do when he has control with him. He’s a high-effort tosser, but he comes by good velo which has ticked up more this season. Sitting 93 last season, Liomar is more frequently hitting 94-95 mph and has been clocked as high as 97. He shows great confidence in the four-seamer particularly in elevating it to set up his best secondary, a high-70s/low-80s curveball with good shape and horizontal drop. This past season, Martinez added a sweeper which he’s made good strides with, quickly making it a usable third pitch. As his stuff improves, so too has his whiff rates. Boasting a 31.2% CSW%, he can make the opposition look foolish. Overall, though, it all comes down to repeatability and control. If what Martinez is currently doing can sustain, he has the ceiling of a back-end rotational piece. Because of the historic volatility with control, a future in the bullpen still seems more likely. Even if that is his floor, Martinez could carve out a solid career as a high-leverage arm—he already has the stuff and profile befitting of that role. Low-A Jupiter When the Miami Marlins gave nearly half of their entire international bonus pool money to Andrew Salas, they were expecting a player well beyond his years that can move quickly through the minor league system. So far, that has not been the case, slashing .168/.268/.245/.513 with two home runs, 16 RBI and a 50 wRC+. He is also striking out 26.7% of the time. Only 18 years old, there is obviously still time for Salas to turn things around, but the early returns have not been encouraging at all. On Tuesday, he was demoted to the Florida Complex League. Abrahan Ramirez has nothing left to prove at the Low-A level. He is now slashing .254/.366/.425/.792 with five home runs, 27 RBI and a 118 wRC+. Acquired in the Jazz Chisholm Jr. trade, Ramirez has always put up good numbers and so far, that continues to be the case. Victor Ortega has emerged as the primary catcher for the Hammerheads. With multiple hits in five of his last eight games, the 22-year-old left-handed-hitter boosted his slash line to .265/.408/.422/.829. Behind the plate, he has committed only one error with no passed balls while throwing out 22% of base-stealers. FCL Marlins A perfect 4-0 week for the FCL Marlins saw the offense come alive, scoring 43 runs across four games. The week was highlighted by a 115 mph home run from one of Miami's offseason acquisitions, while the Dominican Summer League season got underway Monday with one of the organization's biggest international signings homering in his third professional at-bat. The Marlins acquired Edgardo De Leon from the Cubs this offseason for one specific reason: his raw power. It was on full display last Thursday when he turned on a 97 mph fastball and launched it over the center field wall with an exit velocity of 115 mph. Through 17 games, De Leon is hitting .267 with two home runs and 13 RBIs. More importantly, he has already drawn nine walks after drawing just 15 in 43 games last season, while striking out only 12 times. The power has never been in question, as he has flashed legitimate 70-grade raw power. If he can continue to improve his approach and keep the swing-and-miss under control, there is a lot to like in his profile. For the second consecutive week, Luis Cova finds himself in this report, and rightfully so. Although his 12-game hitting streak came to an end Monday afternoon, he has still reached base safely in every game this season. Last week, it was mentioned that the power production had yet to fully arrive despite the strong overall results. Cova answered those concerns this week, recording a two-double game and launching his second home run of the season. The combination of consistent contact, on-base ability, and emerging power has just earned him a promotion to Low-A. This week, Breyias Dean went 8-for-17 (.471) with two home runs and seven RBIs. Both home runs came in back-to-back games. Through 16 games this season, Dean is hitting .354 with a .604 slugging percentage and a 1.033 OPS. One of the biggest developments in Dean's game has been the steady decrease in his strikeout rate. Since 2023, his strikeout percentage has ticked down little by little each season. Like many hitters in the Marlins system, limiting swing-and-miss will ultimately determine how far he can go. The tools have always been there, and if the improved contact skills continue, Dean could be in for a breakout season. DSL Marlins & DSL Miami With the DSL season having just begun on Monday, there is not much to report on yet. However, one of the Marlins' biggest international signings made an excellent first impression. Signed for $1 million this winter, Ronny Muñoz entered professional baseball with some scouts questioning how his smaller 5-foot-10 frame would impact his game long term. He wasted little time making a statement. In the bottom of the sixth inning Monday afternoon, Muñoz launched his first professional home run in just his third career at-bat, giving the Marlins an early return on one of their biggest international investments of the 2026 signing period. This week's schedule Triple-A Jacksonville vs. Nashville Double-A Pensacola vs. Chattanooga High-A Beloit at Peoria Low-A Jupiter vs. Bradenton FCL Marlins vs. FCL Cardinals, FCL Mets and FCL Nationals DSL Marlins vs. DSL Tigers, DSL Mets, DSL Twins, DSL Rangers and DSL Yankees DSL Miami vs. DSL Yankees, DSL Rangers, DSL Cardinals, DSL Phillies and DSL Blue Jays View full article

The Miami Marlins finished the month of May on a five-game losing streak, losing two out of three to the Toronto Blue Jays and getting swept by the New York Mets. The final leg of the three-city road trip featured the Washington Nationals, who entering play on Monday had scored the most runs in baseball. On the flipside, they have the fifth-worst pitching staff in baseball, which the Marlins got to in order to snap their losing streak, defeating the Nationals by a final score of 7-3. Nationals starter Cade Cavalli went five strong innings, striking out six. After allowing a bases loaded walk to Owen Caissie in the top of the first inning, he shutout the Marlins until the top of the sixth inning. He allowed a base hit to Leo Jimenez and was taken out of the game in place of Richard Lovelady. Going into Monday, the Nationals bullpen had a 4.52 ERA, which is 22nd in MLB. They have also allowed the second-most earned runs (143) in baseball. In 17 appearances with the Nationals, Lovelady had a 2.25 ERA, but a 4.45 FIP. With Jimenez on first, Clayton McCullough pinch hit Heriberto Hernandez to face the lefty. On the fifth pitch of the at-bat, Lovelady served up a slider that landed right in the middle of the plate and Hernandez took him deep to left field for his third home run of the season. It tied the game at three apiece. For Hernandez, it marked his third career pinch-hit home run, with two of them coming this season. All three of his career pinch-hit home runs have come against left-handed pitching. Lovelady proceeded to hit Jakob Marsee. A sac bunt from Joe Mack moved Marsee to second and Connor Norby drove him in on an RBI double, giving Miami the lead, 4-3. In the ninth inning, the Nationals turned to Cole Henry, who in eight appearances had a 5.00 ERA. Liam Hicks hit his 12th home run of the season, making it 5-3. That would Mark Hicks' 46th RBI of the season, making it a new career-high for the 27-year old. All-Star voting is set to open on Wednesday, and the main question for Marlins fans will be at which position Hicks will be listed. If it's at catcher, he may have a better chance of getting in. He currently leads all catchers in RBI, and is second in home runs, second in OPS, third in batting average, third in hits and entering play on Monday, he had the third lowest strikeout rate (9.2%) in baseball. "Hicks has had a phenomenal season," Marlins manager Clayton McCullough said. "He's been able to build off his strengths which have been his ability to control the strike zone and we have seen the difference this year. With the home run tonight, he was able to elevate the ball to the pull side with more regularity, which has led to some more home runs. He just takes good at-bats, you can trust him when he's up there and he's been a key part to our offense this year." Kyle Stowers finally seems to be getting it going as he hit his fourth home run of the season, extending the Marlins lead, 7-3. He is now slashing .221/.301/.379/.680 with four home runs, 13 RBI and a 90 wRC+. The Marlins were coming off a bullpen game in Queens where they trotted out six relievers, so Sandy Alcantara, who is coming off a month of May that he'd like to forget, needed to step up. On top of that, Eury Pérez, who is now on the injured list, is not going to be around until after the All-Star break and Janson Junk will also be out for some time. Alcantara gave the Marlins seven innings of work allowing three runs on seven hits (one home run) and struck out three. Monday's start marked the fourth time this season that he completed seven innings or more and did not allow a walk. "It's what I expect from Sandy," McCullough said. "He's going to eat up innings and he's going to give us a chance to win. That's what he's been doing now for almost a decade. Every inning that he is able to take down it's one less inning that someone in the bullpen is going to need to cover. We needed a big one from him tonight and he came through." Alcantara got off to shaky start, surrendering a home run to outfielder Jacob Young in the bottom of the second inning, a two-run blast giving the Nationals a 2-1 lead. Curtis Mead laced an RBI single in the third inning, extending the lead, 3-1. With the win, the Marlins are now 27-34 on the season, fourth place in the National League East and 5.5 games out of the third and final Wild Card spot. Although it is currently listed as a TBD for tomorrow, Fish On First can report that the Marlins are calling up Ryan Gusto to make his first start of the season. In 10 appearances (seven starts) in Triple-A this season, Gusto has a 3.83 ERA, 3.50 FIP, 10.48 K/9 and 3.43 BB/9. First pitch is at 6:45 pm EST on Marlins.TV. View full article

This podcast is brought to you by Jet Ski Rentals of South Florida—offering Miami’s best jet ski and boat adventures. With six jet ski locations and over 120 boats, there’s something for every style and every budget. They’re reservation-based only. To inquire, call 305-990-2192, or check them out online at SFJetskiRentals.com. Make sure to use promo code FISHONFIRST to receive 10% off your next booking. Negotiations are underway between Major League Baseball and the MLB Players Association on a new collective bargaining agreement that could radically change how the Miami Marlins operate financially in 2027 and beyond. AJ Ramos, Kevin Barral and Ely Sussman share the main takeaways from each side's initial proposal. Then, they get caught up on the Marlins' recent performance and revisit the time that AJ indirectly ignited a benches-clearing brawl in Los Angeles. You can find Fish Unfiltered and Fish On First LIVE on the Fish On First YouTube channel, Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever else you get your pods. The projected 2026 Marlins payroll is a league-low $73.5M, according to Roster Resource. Meanwhile, under a potential salary-capped system, MLB has proposed a "floor" of $171.2 million beginning next season—that's far more than Miami has ever spent on players in a single season. Keep in mind, this is expected to be a lengthy CBA negotiation. Dollar figures that we're hearing about now may change significantly by the time that a deal is ratified next year. View full article

This podcast is brought to you by Jet Ski Rentals of South Florida—offering Miami’s best jet ski and boat adventures. With six jet ski locations and over 120 boats, there’s something for every style and every budget. They’re reservation-based only. To inquire, call 305-990-2192, or check them out online at SFJetskiRentals.com. Make sure to use promo code FISHONFIRST to receive 10% off your next booking. Fish On First staffers react to the latest Miami Marlins series and prepare you for what lies ahead. Wednesday's show was hosted by Kevin Barral and featured panelist Nate Karzmer. You can find Fish Unfiltered and Fish On First LIVE on the Fish On First YouTube channel, Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever else you get your pods. Our next FOF LIVE episode will be Sunday at approximately 6:30 p.m. ET following the Marlins-Blue Jays series finale. View full article

The Miami Marlins looked to make it five-straight wins, and unlike Monday night's game, odds were in Miami's favor with Sandy Alcantara on the mound and what looked to be a bullpen game for the Toronto Blue Jays. Alcantara had his worst start of the season and the offense wasn't able to get anything going as the Marlins win-streak was snapped, falling by a final score of 8-1. Alcantara had his worst start of the season, allowing eight runs on 10 hits (three home runs); he allowed one walk and struck out four. He also hit four batters. It marked the first time in franchise history that a Marlins pitcher hit four batters in a single-start. "I think every start, whether it's veteran or not, Daniel (Moskos) and company get with him and it's discussed," Manager Clayton McCullough said. "The things that went well, the things that we're going to look to improve on moving forward and try to get some of the pitches with two strikes in better spots. Just had some pitches leak today over the plate that they put good swings on them." The Blue Jays got to Alcantara right away in the bottom of the first inning, as Ernie Clement took him deep for his fifth home run of the season, taking an early 1-0 lead. In the bottom of the third, Kazuma Okamoto smacked an RBI single, extending the lead, 2-0. The homer that Alcantara surrendered to Clement was off a high sinker, 3.71 feet above the ground, making it the highest pitch he has allowed a home run on in his career. Everything would come crashing down in the bottom of the sixth, as Alcantara surrendered his second home run of the night, this time to Yohendrick Piñango, making it 3-0. A George Springer RBI single made it 4-0 and with the bases loaded, former Marlin Jesus Sanchez took his former teammate deep. Sanchez's first career grand slam was his sixth home run of the season, making it 8-1. Alcantara went on to be taken out of the game after hitting his fourth batter of the night, Okamoto, in the next at-bat. "We just couldn't find a way to finish that inning," McCullough said. "I'm sure the Otto (Lopez) play he makes often, and just wasn't able to there. We weren't able to stop the bleeding and they were able to put up a big number." Through 12 starts this season, Alcantara finds himself with a 4.66 ERA, 4.28 FIP, 6.21 K/9 and 2.51 BB/9. His start on Tuesday marked the third time this season that he allowed more than five runs and it's now back-to-back starts that the he has done so. Miami's offense didn't back up their longtime starter, only putting up one run on five hits and were one for seven with runners in scoring position. With the loss, the Marlins drop to four games below .500 but hope to take the series Wednesday afternoon with Eury Pérez on the mound. First pitch is at 1:07 pm EST. View full article

For the 2026 season, Fish On First will provide weekly reports on the Miami Marlins farm system, covering all levels. Here's the final May edition of our Fish On First Prospects Report, which includes several important injury updates near the bottom of the page. This report covers the games played from May 19-25. Triple-A Jacksonville This week, the Miami Marlins acquired outfielder Rece Hinds from the Cincinnati Reds in exchange for reliever Zach McCambley. In 24 games this season in Triple-A, Hinds is slashing .303/.422/.618/1.040 with seven home runs, 20 RBI and a 164 wRC+. In his Jacksonville debut, Hinds went 1-for-4 with a walk. His lone hit of the game came in the bottom of the ninth inning with an exit velocity of 109.5 mph. McCambley, who was a member of Miami's all-pitcher 2020 draft class, was left unprotected in the Rule 5 draft. He was selected by the Philadelphia Phillies, but after not making the team, he was sent back to the Marlins and assigned to Triple-A. In 13 appearances (two starts), McCambley posted a 2.36 ERA, 4.34 FIP, 10.80 K/9 and 5.74 BB/9. He has yet to debut for his new organization. The trade does come as a surprise given that there wasn't a clear need for an outfielder, unless the Marlins plan to make some moves with the 26-man roster. As for McCambley, it didn't seem like he was going to get an opportunity to make the Majors with Miami, so he is shipped off to a place where he may have a better chance. Jacob Berry continues to rake in Jacksonville, now slashing .309/.426/.434/.860 with two home runs, 17 RBI and a career-high 137 wRC+. Berry's walk rate was at 14.2% the last time we posted this article. It has only gone up since, now at 16.6% and striking out 13.0% of the time, both career-best marks for him. Since being optioned to Jacksonville, Agustín Ramírez is slashing .240/.339/.420/.759 with two home runs, seven RBI and a 103 wRC+. Defensively, he has made three errors, allowed nine stolen bases compared to three caught stealings. He is playing almost everyday, serving as the designated hitter when he isn't behind the plate. In limited action so far, 2021 second-round pick Cody Morissette is off to a strong start in Triple-A. He is slashing .286/.359/.429/.788 with one home run, eight RBI and a 113 wRC+. His lone home run of the season came on Saturday, a walk-off grand slam. Then on Sunday, he was the walk-off hero again with an RBI single. A fun note from this past week was that reliever Jack Ralston threw an immaculate inning. It came in Tuesday's game against the Norfolk Tide. He struck out Heston Kjerstad, Johnathan Rodríguez and Christian Encarnacion-Strand all swinging. It was the first immaculate inning of the season for the Jumbo Shrimp. On the season, Ralston now has a 1.03 ERA, 2.61 FIP, 12.99 K/9 and a 4.44 BB/9 in 26 1/3 innings pitched. Double-A Pensacola Pitching led the way for the Wahoos en route to a series victory over Columbus. Pensacola starting pitchers gave up just 11 runs over the course of the week. The offense rewarded them nicely, scoring 31 runs, pacing the way to a plus-10 run differential. Pensacola is now one game over .500 at 23-22, and they have just received some considerable reinforcements. Aiva Arquette, Eliazar Dishmey, Juan Matheus, Connor Caskenette and Holt Jones were officially promoted from High-A Beloit on Tuesday. More on Dishmey and Caskenette in the Beloit section of this report. We are running out of adjectives to describe what Karson Milbrandt is doing. Every week, the righty goes out and ups the bar again in terms of his dominance against Double-A hitters. This week, it showed up in the form of him collecting a career high 12 strikeouts over six shutout innings. He allowed just three hits and two walks. Milbrandt is now riding a streak of five straight quality starts, including 23 straight scoreless innings. He’s eight scoreless frames away from tying the Blue Wahoos’ all time franchise record for consecutive scoreless innings set in 2013 by Lee Hyde. Deservedly so, the accolades keep coming for Milbrandt: he was once again named Southern League Pitcher of the Week by the league and Baseball America has labeled him the hottest pitcher in all of Minor League Baseball. Because of the veracity at which he is dominating and overwhelming Double-A hitters, questions have arisen about Milbrandt being promoted to Triple-A Jacksonville and when that will happen with the big league team struggling for starting pitching. However, remaining in Double-A is probably the safest play for Milbrandt’s continued development. Before this year, Milbrandt had only pitched two games at the Double-A level. Also, he’s not yet thrown more than 90 innings in a single season. As innings pile ip on his arm, staying where he’s comfortable will aid Milbrandt’s confidence. The alternative is going to a very bitter friendly environment in the International League where he would play against competition four-plus years his elder on average. With depthy arms for the big league team still to draw from already on the 40-man roster, the safest play for Milbrandt, who is now a top 100 prospect, would be to keep him in Double-A for most of 2026. Fenwick Trimble, the Marlins’ fourth-rounder from 2024, had a slow start to the year. He progressively picked things up, and lately, Trimble has taken the next step and strung together multiple hits in many games that he's played. That was prevalent in this series against the Clingstones as Trimble went 7-for-23. He recorded two hits in each of the final three games of the series, including his seventh home run. Trimble has put a .680 OPS April behind him by slashing .288/.337/.513 in May. Trimble has tapped more into his contact-oriented approach by way of swinging at more quality pitches. He owns 31.1% whiff (36th percentile), but his swings-and-misses have consistently become less frequent as he gets fully acclimated to Double-A pitching. Trimble has also looked the part at all three outfield spots. Reps and time: that is all Trimble will need as he attempts to approach the ceiling of a speedy, gap-hitting, contact-oriented starting outfielder. He is locked into a starting outfield spot with the Wahoos for the rest of the season. High-A Beloit It was another successful week for the Carp who hit the road again and came out with a 4-2 series victory against Quad Cities. The Beloit bats awoke for one of their better all-around offensive showings of the season so far as they scored 52 total runs and held a whopping +29 run differential. When the Sky Carp resume play on Tuesday, though, their lineup will look much different without Arquette, Matheus and Caskenette. With Otto Lopez and Liam Hicks on potential All-Star trajectories and with top prospect Owen Caissie beginning to riddle it out at the plate, it’s been quite the year for Canadians at the big league level. Connor Caskenette is making that trend matriculate to the minors because he is absolutely raking. He continued to demolish High-A pitching this past week by going 6-for-19 with a double and two homers, bringing his season total to seven. Caskenette’s 166 wRC+ not only leads the Marlins system, it’s second-highest in the Midwest League among qualified hitters. At High-A, Caskenette showed a fantastic approach, walking at a 13% clip while keeping strikeouts to a manageable 22%. He selects swings well, rarely chasing out of the strike zone and making contact at pitches within it at an 85% rate. Caskenette’s solid raw strength and great barrel control stemming from quick hands allows him to go to all fields, though he has slightly favored the pull side. Limited defensively, Caskenette has done exactly what he needs to do so far in his development to reach his ceiling of an every day starter at the next level: hit consistently and hit well. We are about to find out if that can sustain against upper minors competition. Long term, it may behoove the Marlins to teach Caskenette a position other than catcher, possibly first base or left field. The glove has severely lagged behind the offensive production, namely in the area of controlling the running game where Caskenette has caught just 18% of base-stealers this season. While still very low, that is an improvement so far over the 10% marker he posted in 2025. Additionally, as catcher-only, Caskenette would be blocked by the defensively gifted Joe Mack. Overall, a bat-first and potentially bat-only prospect, there’s a low floor here, but the ceiling is enticing. Eliazar Dishmey continues to turn in solid outings. On the heels of a quality start in which he allowed just one run on a homer, the righty tossed 5 ⅔ innings worth of shutout ball on just three hits and one walk. Narrowly missing a second straight QS, Dishmey struck out nine, his most in a start since setting a career high with 10 last August. His ERA shrunk to a minuscule 2.14, sixth-lowest in the Midwest League (min. 20 IP). Dishmey continues to shine by way of a fastball that is one of the better heaters in the Marlins’ organization. Throwing the pitch with both four seam rise and two seam sink, Dishmey is showing enhanced command as well as an enhanced ability and confidence to throw the pitch up in the zone for whiffs. He can also bury it with lower velocity, attributing to a 44% ground ball rate this season. Along with his primary breaker, a slow, looping 12-6 curve which shows great velo separation from the heat, his slider has been his separating point this season. Better feel and control over the frisbee-style third pitch with late tilt and run to his spot has been the primary reason for his stark increase in K rate (35%) and decrease in contact rate (68%). He can also still mix in a show-me changeup. There’s still some reliever risk to Dishmey due to historical command concerns, limited size, and throwing with effort, but he’s already raised his floor so far this season. Still just 21, there’s plenty of time for him to continue to develop and fully iron out his craft at the upper minors. He’s well ahead of schedule. Colby Shade had another standout week offensively for Beloit and is proving how impressive he can be when he’s consistently getting on base. Slotting into four games in the series, the 24-year-old went 9-for-17 with a triple and stole three bags, bringing him up to 10 on the season. Not only did Shade show off his plus speed, he’s also continuing to tap into more power. On Thursday, Shade hit his seventh home run which already brings him to within one of tying his career high from two seasons ago. His exports earned him our Prospect of the Week honors. Shade, a ninth-rounder from 2023, has stayed consistent through the entire month of May, slashing .362/.413/.741 with nine extra base hits, including six home runs. After being limited by injury last season and after getting challenged to Double-A out of necessity, he’s showing what he can do as he gets consistent reps at the same level. A good mix of plus-plus speed, solid patince and whiff avoidance, and now budding power with the tools to hold down any outfield spot, he is beginning to raise his floor despite being slightly behind schedule in his development. As the Marlins continue to carve out the reputation as being aggressive with how and when they challenge their prospects, we should see Shade, who has a 144 wRC+, at the upper levels in short order before he becomes Rule 5-eligible this winter. Low-A Jupiter Abrahan Ramírez was one of the three players acquired in the Jazz Chisholm Jr. trade from the New York Yankees. He is slashing .274/.394/.462/.856 with five home runs, 26 RBI and 11 stolen bases. Emilio Barreras continues to be the Hammerheads' best hitter this season, now slashing .333/.477/.455/.931 with two home runs, 21 RBI and a 165 wRC+. He was selected in the eighth round of the 2025 MLB Draft. Ramírez and Barreras are leading candidates to be promoted to High-A whenever another infield spot opens up. Andres Valor continues to rebound from his early-season slump, now hitting .213/.342/.329/.671 with three home runs, 12 RBI, 22 stolen bases and a 94 wRC+. Although he is walking more (14.4%), the strikeouts remain an issue (29.4%), which is what is holding him back from truly making strides. Carter Johnson seems to have found a nice rhythm offensively. Even during a week where he totaled only two hits, he drew five walks. Overall, Johnson is hitting .219/.361/.370/.731 with five home runs and 20 RBI, marking a dramatic improvement from last season. Despite being shutout on Saturday, Wailin Castillo went 5 ⅔ innings, allowing one run on four hits, one walk and struck out six. Through eight starts this season, Castillo has a 2.55 ERA, 4.83 ERA, 7.39 K/9 and 4.08 BB/9. Julio Mendez continues to put up strong starts in Jupiter, most recently tossing 5 ⅔ innings, allowing two runs on three hits, no walk and struck out nine, two shy of his season-high. Mendez now has a 4.26 ERA, 4.04 FIP, 13.36 K/9 and 3.69 BB/9 in seven starts. FCL Marlins Another week down in the FCL means seeing things you do not see every day. The FCL Marlins threw a combined no-hitter while walking seven and allowing three runs. The offense was quiet for most of the week, but headlining this week is a player who got off to a slow start and has now hit safely in 10 straight games. FOF #12 prospect Luis Cova started the season 2-for-16 (.125). Since then, he has gone 14-for-36 (.388) and has put together a 10-game hitting streak. In his last two games, he has three RBIs, and while the power has not arrived yet, it is very reassuring to see the Luis Cova we saw last year. Just like a majority of the FCL roster that came from the DSL this year to make their stateside debut, Victor Rodriguez made his stateside debut this year as well. In six innings, he has posted a 3.00 ERA with seven strikeouts compared to just two walks. Walks have been the main issue for Rodriguez over the last two years in the DSL, so this is a very good sign. Another guy who falls into that category is Jonathan Rosario. Coming over from the DSL this year, he has looked dominant when he is in the zone. Through nine innings, he has 13 strikeouts. However, he has also walked 11. The stuff is definitely there, as opponents are hitting just .133 against him this year, but command will dictate how well the stuff plays. Jonas Uzcategui is a repeat from last week, and rightfully so. This week, he went 2 ⅔ innings without allowing a hit while striking out four and walking two. His updated stats this season: a 1.80 ERA in 10 innings with 18 strikeouts compared to just four walks. Injuries/Rehab The following prospects were all activated from the injured list on Tuesday: Ryan Ignoffo (Pensacola), Drew Faurot (Beloit), Chase Jaworsky (Beloit), Wilson Weber (Beloit) and Jacob Jenkins-Cowart (Beloit). FOF #1 prospect Thomas White is expected to be sidelined for at least one more week. President of baseball operations Peter Bendix told SiriusXM Radio that White's issue is shoulder-related. This week's schedule Triple-A Jacksonville at Charlotte Double-A Pensacola at Birmingham High-A Beloit vs. Lake County Low-A Jupiter at Fort Myers FCL Marlins vs. FCL Nationals, FCL Cardinals, FCL Mets and FCL Astros View full article