Kevin Barral

The first of three games between the Miami Marlins and the Toronto Blue Jays looked lopsided on paper in favor of the reigning American League champions, with young star right-hander Trey Yesavage taking the mound. However, fresh off a sweep of the New York Mets, Clayton McCullough's club came in with plenty of confidence. Yesavage surrendered a season-high five runs, which would be more than enough as the Marlins defeated the Blue Jays, 8-2, extending their win streak to a season-best four games. "it was tough, but big to get one early and give (Janson) Junk a run to work with," McCullough said postgame. "Then we just put together some good at-bats there...We just did some little things very well when given some opportunities to put a crooked number up." Miami's offense wasted no time getting to Yesavage. Xavier Edwards led the game off with a double, he advanced to third after Liam Hicks grounded out and Otto Lopez drove him in on a sac fly, making it 1-0 in the top of the first inning. Owen Caissie, a native of Ontario, Canada, laced an RBI double in the top of the fifth inning to drive in Javier Sanoja from second to extend the lead. Caissie capped off the night for Miami in the top of the eighth with an RBI single off lefty Adam Macko. Monday's game marked Caissie's third multi-hit game of the season and his eighth multi-RBI game. Through his previous 11 games, Caissie was slashing .296/.345/.538/.883 with two home runs and seven RBI. His season slash line is now .221/.279/.374/.653 with four home runs, 26 RBI and an 81 wRC+. "He's hung in there, and he's making some adjustments," McCullough said. "He's getting himself again. I think some better pitches to go after, and we're getting the performance to follow how much better his approach has been." The main issue for Caissie continues to be strikeouts, now at a 41.5 K%. Going into Monday, Caissie's strikeout rate was the highest in baseball (min. 140 PA). Kyle Stowers, who went hitless this past weekend against the Mets, had a multi-hit day, driving in two runs in the top of the sixth inning. It was an extremely lucky hit, as Blue Jays left fielder Yohendrick Pinango and shortstop Andres Gimenez were not able to decide who would make the catch. Stowers in the top of the eighth drove in another run on an RBI double. Javier Sanoja was the third Marlins hitter who had a multi-hit game. Since the beginning of the series against the Tampa Bay Rays (5/15), but not including Monday, he has a .983 OPS. In the top of the sixth, he hit a double off Yesavage that Piñango wasn't able to track down, allowing Stowers and Jakob Marsee to score. Junk had struggled in his last two starts against two of baseball's best offenses. He bounced back against a mediocre Blue Jays lineup that did not have Vladimir Guerrero Jr. He went five innings of one-run ball with three strikeouts, but allowed eight hits. The lone run he allowed came in the bottom of the fifth inning when Piñango drove in Lenyn Sosa on an RBI single, making it 2-1. Although the final line may indicate that Junk was good, there was certainly some luck involved. The defense behind Junk saved him a couple times. He surrendered six hard-hit balls and had an xFIP of 4.38. Junk put at least one base runner on in four of the five innings that he pitched. "Today he was able to just reset himself and just go make the best pitch that he can," McCullough said. "Jansen is a good pitcher, and he's got a lot of moxie. Hung in there and did it when he needed to do it the most...Some of the luck has gone against him a little bit and I think today he's in those jams, but he buckled down, made pitches and got some huge outs to only give up the one run through five." With the win, the Marlins are now 26-29 on the season and will have Sandy Alcantara on the mound Tuesday night at 7:07 pm. The Blue Jays have yet to announce a starter for that game, but it does seem as if they will be going with a bullpen game. View full article

On Sunday following his first start of the 2026 season, Marlins right-hander Tyler Phillips speaks with the media about adapting to his new role. Phillips and five Marlins relievers combined for a shutout victory. View full video

MIAMI, FL — On Sunday morning, Robby Snelling returned to loanDepot park for the first time after undergoing left elbow UCL repair with an internal brace. Snelling, Fish On First's No. 2 prospect, made his major league debut in the series opener against the Washington Nationals. He went five innings allowing three runs on five hits (one home run), four walks and two strikeouts. It was during the start that the young lefty felt a pull in his forearm. "I don’t know what it’s supposed to feel like," Snelling said. "Obviously, now I do. I threw a breaking ball. It was in the middle of the outing and felt a little different than all the other pitches. I threw another fastball, I was still 95-96, and was still locating. I wasn’t super worried about it. I thought it just came out different. I wasn’t hurting at all after that. Nothing really tightened up, and I was able to go throughout the rest of the outing the way that I did." It wasn't until Snelling threw his bullpen session in Minnesota on the following road trip that he reported discomfort. "I just couldn’t trust my arm to be able to go out on that start and try and throw 95." Snelling joins another highly ranked Marlins pitching prospect, Kevin Defrank, in being sidelined for the remainder of the season due to an arm injury. The organization's top overall prospect, Thomas White, is also on the injured list, though that is believed to be the result of a minor blister issue. Adam Mazur, who the Marlins acquired in a package with Snelling in 2024, underwent a full UCL reconstruction earlier this year. Just a few years ago, any injury like Snelling's would have been addressed with Tommy John surgery, but an innovative internal brace technique could speed up his rehab. The Marlins announced an expected absence of 10-12 months, which Snelling called the "best-case scenario." With that being said, the 22-year-old was understandably sad about baseball being "ripped away" from him mere days after reaching the big leagues. "Getting a little taste of it and realizing how special it is to be up here and how important winning is, it’s refreshing," Snelling said. "In the minor leagues, you obviously want to win, but a lot of is about development, and when you finally get up to the big leagues, development is important, but every time you step out onto the field, you just want to win with your team and the guys that you are with in the locker room, so being removed so quickly from that is really hard.” When asked who he will go to for advice about overcoming this setback, one name that he mentioned was Texas Rangers starting pitcher and former Marlin Nathan Eovaldi. "He’s been through a lot in his career, and he’s been a great soundboard for me to be able to use," Snelling said. If not for the injury, Snelling would have had an extended opportunity to establish himself in the Marlins rotation. With him out of the picture for the rest of 2026, the current starting five consists of Sandy Alcantara, Eury Pérez, Max Meyer, Janson Junk and Tyler Phillips. Newly converted to a starter after dominating out of the bullpen, Phillips held the New York Mets scoreless for 3 ⅔ innings on Sunday. View full article

MIAMI, FL — Thanks to two home runs by Liam Hicks and another Max Meyer quality start, the Miami Marlins defeated the New York Mets Saturday afternoon by a final score of 4-1. Marlins manager Clayton McCullough said that Meyer was able to get through seven shutout innings even without his best stuff. "I think he's been sharper and crisper in some other outings," McCullough said, "but I think he threw some insane sweepers today, and they did a good job of using his fastball appropriately. I just felt like today was more of a grind for him, even though it wasn't a lot of traffic." Meyer allowed just one hit and walked three. He also struck out eight, one shy of his season-high. Through 11 starts this season, Meyer now has a 2.52 ERA, 3.00 FIP, 10.09 K/9 and 3.26 BB/9. Meyer's sweeper (32% usage) and four-seam fastball (27%) complemented each other very well. "I think we can feel when they're starting to sit spin," Meyer said. "I was able to get some ride on a couple heaters when I needed to and freeze them up on a few heaters when I needed to. I got to get that going for next outing." The Marlins jumped on New York Mets starter Freddy Peralta early. In the bottom of the second inning, with runners on second and third, Owen Caissie drove both of them in on a double. Cassie has quietly found consistency at the plate after going through an extended slump during most of April and early May. Since the beginning of the series against the Minnesota Twins (5/13), he entered Saturday's game slashing .300/.391/.600/.991 with two home runs and five RBI. Liam Hicks notched his first career multi-homer game, hitting his 10th of the season in the bottom of the third inning and his 11th in the bottom of the fifth. That gave Miami a 4-0 lead. Hicks and CJ Abrams of the Washington Nationals continue to duel for the RBI leader in baseball. Abrams currently has the most with 45, while Hicks is in second with 44. On Sunday, the Marlins will have Tyler Phillips start the game. That would have been Braxton Garrett's rotation spot, but he was optioned to Triple-A earlier in the week. Once a starter at the beginning of his MLB career, Phillips will now get an opportunity go out there every fifth day, per McCullough. "We believe he has the pitches and the ability to start it," McCullough said. "He's done it in the past, something we had spoken with him about last year and had stretched him out some on the fly. As circumstances have happened in recent weeks, felt like he's been throwing the ball terrifically. His arsenal is much deeper, better than it was in the past. With how the (splitter has) come along and the velocity he's been showing, I think he has the pitch mix to go and do this." In 15 appearances out of the bullpen in 2026, Phillips has a 1.20 ERA, 3.43 FIP, 8.10 K/9 and 4.80 BB/9. The right-hander has a five-pitch mix, primarily throwing his sinker and splitter. He has only maxed out at 52 pitches this season, so it will take multiple outings for him to be stretched out for a typical starter's workload. The Marlins will go for their second series sweep of the season on Sunday at 1:40 pm. Christian Scott will start for the Mets. View full article

MIAMI, FL — Going into Friday night’s matchup against the New York Mets, the Miami Marlins had lost three straight games to the Atlanta Braves. Their series opener against New York felt like a much-needed win, as Miami prevailed 2-1. It's been no secret that Miami's phenom Eury Perez has struggled as of late. Over his last three starts going into Friday, Pérez had a 7.31 ERA and 6.60 FIP, allowing 13 runs on 12 hits (four home runs). He bounced back on Friday night, turning in his best start of the 2026 season, going 6 ⅓ innings pitched, allowing one run on two hits, no walks and struck out five. It marked the first time this season that Pérez had not allowed a free pass. "It's been an uneven start to his season, and he just hung with it," Marlins manager Clayton McCullough said after the game. "Why we do this is that with talented guys like Eury, you just hang in there and keep coaching. He's still got a long way to go, and we like to be able to see this terrific outing. He's needed to get on a good run here, but tonight, he should feel great about it, because it goes back to the strike-throwing, being in the zone, and he got some great defense behind him by (Jakob) Marsee in center field." Both hits that Pérez allowed were to superstar Juan Soto. In the top of the first inning, Soto unloaded on a Pérez fastball, drilling it 449 feet deep to the second deck in right center field. The final hit Pérez surrendered was in the top of the fourth inning. "I didn’t want it to be a home run, but I also didn’t want it to be a walk," Pérez said through a translator. "I wanted to compete against him, make my best pitch there, and he had a good result from his side. After that, I decided to stay focused anyway, keep my head up and know that the game didn’t end there." The biggest difference for Pérez was his four-seam fastball usage, which dropped to 38% compared to his usual 60-65%. He generated five whiffs with the four-seamer and recorded two strikeouts with the pitch. His next most-used offering was the sweeper (26%), which generated three whiffs and accounted for two more strikeouts, both swinging. Pérez succeeded, but a lot of the credit should to go to Jakob Marsee's defense. On the second pitch of the game, Carson Benge hit a ball to straightaway center that would've been extra bases. Instead, Marsee made the leaping catch for the first out of the inning. It would've been a home run in 10 ballparks, including Citi Field. Benge's fly out also had an expected batting average of .540. In the top of the sixth inning, with Benge up once again, he hit a ball 408 feet to straightaway center field, but Marsee made another incredible catch, robbing Benge for a second time.. That ball had an expected batting average of .850. "“Especially the first one he made, flying into right-center and going up against the wall, that was a terrific play,” McCullough said. “The second one, hit to center, he tracked it back toward the wall, and going back there is not easy. You’re trying to navigate how much time you have left while keeping your eye on the ball. Where’s the wall at? Then timing the jump to make that play.” Eventually, Miami was able to give Perez the lead on Friday. Esteury Ruiz may not blow you away with his bat, but it certainly came into play against New York. In the bottom of the second inning, he doubled off Tobias Myers and later stole third. Owen Caissie grounded out, which was more than enough for Ruiz to score and tie the game, 1-1. The Mets only went with Myers for an inning and a third before going to Sean Manaea for 3 ⅔ innings. Ruiz hit a triple off Manaea in the bottom of the fourth inning and Owen Caissie drove him in on an RBI single to take a 2-1 lead. "He certainly can impact the game and change it when he's on the bases," McCullough said of Ruiz. "I think the opponent knows how much they have to hold and pay attention to him." Through his last three series', Owen Caissie is slashing .278/.350/.611/.961 with two home runs and three RBI. The at-bats are beginning to look more competitive and this stretch of games is certainly showing that. “I think he’s starting to realize, within a game, his ability to string together a few good at-bats and continue building off that,” McCullough said. “He’s doing some things to help us.” For the sixth time this season, Pete Fairbanks notched a save, now four away from 100 in his career. Fairbanks struck out two, throwing 20 pitches in the process. The Marlins utilized Fairbanks in the series finale against the Atlanta Braves down by multiple runs, which makes it unlikely he'll be available on Saturday. "I hope we can play more games like this where we can get him out there into a rhythm and with some regularity," McCullough said. "I think you will see all the counting numbers start to go in his favor." With the win, the Marlins improved to 23-29 on the season. They have a chance to take the series on Saturday with Max Meyer on the mound at 4:10 pm. View full article

MIAMI, FL - At this point last year, the Miami Marlins were 19-28, a few games worse than where they currently are, which is 22-28 after falling to the Atlanta Braves on Wednesday night by a final score of 9-1. Manager Clayton McCullough couldn't pinpoint exactly what needs to change for this team to get back on track. "I think we just have to hang in the fight," McCullough said. "Our clubhouse believes in our staff, and we know that we are certainly capable of getting on a good run and stringing some wins together and winning some series'. Right now we're just not doing that. To do that, a lot of facets have to come together and I think where we're at right now is where we're at, and we have a long road ahead of us. We just keep taking a step forward and come out tomorrow." With Chris Sale on the mound, the Marlins had both Xavier Edwards and Otto Lopez as their top two hitters in the lineup, who combined for three of their four hits on Wednesday. From Lopez down, the only Marlin to knock in a base hit was third baseman Leo Jimenez, which came in the bottom of the fourth inning. That was the Marlins' final hit of the day. Sale went seven innings of one-run ball, striking out eight without issuing a walk. The only run he allowed came in the bottom of the first inning on a sacrifice fly from Heriberto Hernandez that scored Xavier Edwards. It marked the fifth time this season that the Marlins failed to draw a walk and the seventh time they were held without an extra-base hit. Miami went 0-for-1 with runners in scoring position. "It really felt like after that first inning, he got into a really good rhythm," McCullough said. "The slider really picked up. I think he started executing at a really high level with that pitch and settled in." The Marlins, who have said from the start that they are attacking this season with urgency, have been giving players opportunities, but with quick hooks. Some examples include optioning Agustin Ramirez and Graham Pauley along with designating Chris Paddack for assignment. After just two starts in his return to the big leagues, Braxton Garrett was optioned back down to Jacksonville as well. One example of someone who may be on borrowed time is first baseman Christopher Morel, who is now slashing .143/.192/.184/.376 with only two extra base hits. On Wednesday, he went 0-for-3. The power that he was once lauded for has evaporated, now averaging an exit velocity of 88.8 mph, just below the league average. He is also striking out 34.6% of the time, the second-highest rate of his career. The first base experiment also hasn't been great, as he currently has a negative Outs Above Average. The Marlins were the only Major League team interested in his services during the offseason, as teams overseas also expressed interest. He signed a one-year deal worth $2M, but is under club control until 2029. On Tuesday, after going 1-4 with three strikeouts and a costly play at first base which gave the Braves a 5-4 lead, Morel declined to speak to the media. Current first base options on the 26-man roster include Connor Norby and Liam Hicks. Norby, who is slashing .224/.327/.367/.694 with four home runs, 14 RBI and a 99 wRC+, also has four Outs Above Average at first base and has adapted well to the position. Although undersized for the position, Hicks has broken out, now tied for the MLB lead with 42 RBI. In a limited sample size at first base this season, he grades out as a league-average player there and last season had one OAA, which is considered above average. Kyle Stowers could also play the position in a pinch. More first base options include Griffin Conine, who is continuing to work back from an early season injury and in the minor leagues, Deyvison De Los Santos and Jacob Berry are having nice seasons and can play the position. If the Marlins were to move on from Morel, it would mean that two of the four free-agent signings the team made are already gone. Among position players, he would join Tim Anderson as the second hitter signed to an MLB deal by Peter Bendix to be designated for assignment. “It’s tough for me to weigh in too much on him,” McCullough said prior to the second game of the series. “He’s only had about 35-36 plate appearances up here so far, so it’s still a very small sample size. He hit some balls hard in the Tampa series, including a really hard lineout to left, so he’s getting some good swings off. “He also fouled off a number of pitches that he probably wishes he had done more with. With Chris, we’re going to continue to give him some at-bats and opportunities to get into a rhythm here, because with only 35 plate appearances, he’s basically four-for-four away from things looking completely different.” Janson Junk got his season started on a high-note, but through the last three starts, he has surrendered a total of 19 runs on 25 hits. In his most recent outing, Junk allowed eight runs to a high-powered Braves offense that took game three of the four-game set by a final score of 9-1. With Junk's struggles, it brings up the question if a change should be made. Problem is, Miami is currently lacking formidable options, especially following the demotion of Braxton Garret and top prospect Thomas White being placed on the IL. Additionally, Robby Snelling is currently on the MLB IL with a UCL sprain. After a clean bottom of the first inning, Austin Riley took Junk deep in the following frame. The three-run homer gave the Braves a 3-1 lead. Similar to the home run Junk allowed to Tampa Bay Rays designated hitter Yandy Díaz on Friday, he left a sweeper over the middle of the plate for Riley to take advantage of, sending it to straightaway center field. Junk allowed five runs in the top of the sixth inning without being able to record an out. He allowed back-to-back RBI singles to Matt Olson and Ozzie Albies. Dominic Smith provided the final blow, a three-run homer which made it 8-1, immediately making manager Clayton McCullough come out to make a call to the bullpen. The game was capped off by a Dominic Smith triple in which both Esteury Ruiz and Owen Caissie collided, causing the ball to pop out of Ruiz’s glove. On the relay throw, Ruiz missed both Otto Lopez and Javier Sanoja, sending the ball into an unreachable spot for any defender and allowing Smith to score. The official scoring was later changed to a triple followed by an E8. “It’s tough. Both guys are going forward in that direction,” McCullough said about the play. “Either guy could’ve made the catch. You’re trying your best to communicate, whether verbally or non-verbally, but when both guys are going full speed, those things unfortunately do happen.” With the loss, the Marlins drop to 22-28, a season-worst six games under .500. The Marlins have a chance to go for the split on Thursday night with Sandy Alcantara on the mound. First pitch is scheduled for 6:40 pm. View full article

For the 2026 season, Fish On First will provide weekly reports on the Miami Marlins farm system, covering all levels. Here's the third 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 12-18. Triple-A Jacksonville Fish On First Prospect of the Week Matthew Etzel had gotten off to a rough start in 2026, but now through 35 games, his production is close to his career average. Etzel was incredible in the most recent series against the Memphis Redbirds, recording at least one RBI in five of the six games and hitting home runs in each of the first four games. He is currently riding a 10-game hitting streak. His overall season slash line is up to .227/.313/.391/.703 with five home runs, 21 RBI and an 88 wRC+. The Marlins acquired Etzel right before last year's trade deadline from the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for longtime catcher Nick Fortes. The Rays are satisfied with their side of the deal as Fortes is contributing to a club with the best record in Major League Baseball, but Etzel could potentially be called up at some point this season to give the Marlins a left-handed bat off the bench. Fish On First Prospects (@fofprospects) • Instagram photos and videos WWW.INSTAGRAM.COM 40 likes, 1 comments - fofprospects on May 17, 2026: "Fear the beard! 🧔‍♂️data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAPABAP///wAAACH5BAEKAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAICRAEAOw== By way of a 9-25 series in which he hit homers in four straight games and in which he raised his OPS by over 100... Kemp Alderman continues to mash in Jacksonville, now slashing .303/.376/.526/.903 with nine home runs, 23 RBI and a 137 wRC+. The 2023 second-round pick has been playing some first base recently, increasing his defensive versatility. He currently leads the Marlins farm system in hits (46) and runs scored (29). The main concern with Alderman is the jump in his strikeout rate, going from 23.1% in 2025 to 31.2% this season. Although a much different type of hitter, Jacob Berry has been equally successful in Jacksonville, now slashing .317/.419/.455/.874 with two home runs, 16 RBI, 13 stolen bases and a 138 wRC+. He is walking (14.2 BB%) more often than he's striking out (12.2 K%). Berry has gotten reps at five different defensive positions this season, most recently second base. It's getting hard to justify keeping him down while the Marlins receive minimal contributions from the likes of Christopher Morel and Heriberto Hernández. It's been an up-and-down ride for top prospect Thomas White since coming off the IL and going to Triple-A. In seven starts, White has a 4.01 ERA, 4.93 FIP, 12.77 K/9 and 5.47 BB/9. In his most recent start against Memphis, White allowed four runs on seven hits (two home runs). White's fastball currently is averaging 94.9 mph and generating a 32.0% whiff rate, but is getting hit extremely hard (55.5% hard-hit rate). It's also below league average with a stuff plus grade of 91 (100 is league average). The breaking pitches have been a bit better, primarily the sweeper, generating 34% whiff and a 97 stuff plus. He is throwing that pitch 30.6% of the time, his second-most-used pitch. Still only 21 years old, there is no rush with White, but Chris Paddack's departure and Robby Snelling's injury have moved him up the depth chart. In the bullpen, Jack Ralston and Josh White continue to dominate. Ralston has a 1.11 ERA, 2.95 FIP, 12.21 K/9 and 4.81 BB/9 in 15 appearances. As for White, he has a 1.61 ERA, 4.95 FIP, 9.27 K/9 and 4.84 BB/9 in 14 appearances (one start). William Kempner made his MLB debut with the Marlins on May 5, then quickly returned to the Jumbo Shrimp. He has not allowed a hit since then in seven innings pitched. Double-A Pensacola The Wahoos put on a power display in their series in Chattanooga. The beneficiaries of 13 total home runs over the week, Pensacola slugged their way to four wins in six games. They will head back home to take on Columbus with the chance to get back over .500 in the tightly-contested Southern League South division. Once again leading the offensive charge was 22-year-old slugger Dillon Lewis, who went 5-for-21 with four of his hits visiting areas beyond fences. In the second game of the series, Lewis hit two home runs marking his first multi-homer game of the season and second of his career. On the season, he’s slugging .481, which ties him for 11th-best SLG in the Southern League. He’s on pace to be the first Marlins minor leaguer since Griffin Conine (2021) to reach 30 homers. Lewis has immense raw power. With a seemingly gentle flick of the bat, Lewis is generating average exit velocities in the mid-to-upper 90s all the way up to the 110s. He is a pure pull hitter, smashing the ball to left field and in the air 17.9% of the time, in the 80th percentile in the Southern League. He turns on almost everything he touches with amazing strength. On the flip side, working to Lewis’ disadvantage is his extremely low percentage of swings at pitches in the strike zone and his relatively high amount of swings outside the zone. With a 40-point difference between his Z-Swing and O-swing, this is a clear point of emphasis for Lewis to hone in on as he continues to progress. Because of his current gaps, the offensive floor is a bit volatile, but with improved plate vision and better swing decisions, there is a path to Lewis developing into a 40+ home run threat. He raises his overall floor a bit thanks to great athleticism and plus speed. Lewis is under the radar nationally, but that could change in short order later this year. Are you not entertained? At this point, every Karson Milbrandt start is a must-watch event. His latest movie from this past week: six shutout innings on three hits, no walks and 11 strikeouts. That earned him Southern League Pitcher of the Week honors. In his past three starts, Milbrandt has a 0.50 ERA with a 28/3 K/BB. Milbrandt’s player page on TJ Stats lights up like a Christmas tree. In every stat category except for swing% and zone%, he ranks on the upper echelon of his fellow competitors (75th percentile or better). This includes the 99th percentile in whiff rate and the 98th in ground ball rate. Dominating all areas of the zone, changing eye levels, changing speeds—Milbrandt is doing it all largely with upper-90s velo plus ride on the fastball and a nasty sweeper with late run. He also still has a good power curveball in his back pocket. With questions about third-pitch development and control and command becoming more distant by the start, Milbrandt's career path increasingly bears resemblance to Max Meyer's, only his improvements are happening at a younger age. If these results persist for Milbrandt, we will see him at the big league level sooner than originally expected. On Tuesday, the 22-year-old was deservedly added to Baseball America's Top 100 prospects list. The Marlins now have five players on the list, with Milbrandt joining Thomas White, Robby Snelling, Aiva Arquette and Joe Mack. High-A Beloit It was also a good week for the Sky Carp who shook off a series loss by taking four out of six from Peoria. The series was highlighted by an explosive 17-run performance on Saturday followed by a walk-off win on Sunday. Beloit’s offense scored a whopping 40 runs over the week (plus-10 run differential). It was refreshing to see from a squad who is still hitting just .220/.356/.375 as cold air and dreary weather start to finally dissipate in the region. A Marlins’ 2024 14th-rounder, Cam Clayton enjoyed a solid week at the plate, recording a bit in each game including two home runs. His second homer came Sunday and served as Beloit’s walk-off salvo. The 4-for-15 series came on the heels of a three-hit game on May 9. Overall, Clayton is 7 for his last 18 with six RBI. Clayton was drafted as a shortstop, but has since transitioned to corner infielder spots. This season with Beloit, he’s primarily played first base and slotted in as their DH. To reach an MLB ceiling, his bat will need to play consistently. It’s only showed up in spurts so far this season in High-A: before this current stretch, he was mired in an 0-for-21 spell before spending time on the development list. Clayton is walking at a tremendous rate and he is not swinging at bad pitches often, but he may be being a bit too timid at the plate: his zone swing percentage on the year is just 50.5%, one of the lowest in the High-A ranks. If Clayton, who sports a decent swing, can shake off some of his stoicism in the box without fully sacrificing his walk rate, he will improve his stock as a prospect. As the weather improves, so does Eliazar Dishmey's control and command. After tossing five shutty last time out, the 21-year-old turned in his first quality start of the year against Peoria, going six innings of one-run ball on just two hits and three walks while striking out six. His only charged run came on a solo home run. By way of one of the deeper arsenals in the Marlins’ organization, Dishmey continues to trend in the right direction. His 2.57 ERA this season is 11th-best in the Midwest League among pitchers with at least 20 IP. Transparently, Dishmey’s BABIP is an extremely low and unsustainable .189 and his 4.09 FIP is two runs higher than his ERA. As the BABIP normalizes over a larger sample of frames, Dishmey’s ERA will rise. Dishmey won’t overpower with fastball velo which usually sits 92-94, but he throws the fastball two different ways and keeps hitters off balance with both rise and sink. His best breaker is a hard slider in the mid-upper 80s and he also owns a slow loopy curveball in the low 80s. Lack of shape on his changeup has caused it to morph more so into a cutter recently—that pitch sits 88-90 plays as a better mix-in offering. Ryan Ignoffo (Pensacola) is expected to miss at least a week after injuring the popliteofibular ligament in his knee. Ignoffo has been the primary catcher for the Blue Wahoos, slashing .250/.308/.396 with seven stolen bases but only one home run. Cam Cannarella (Beloit) made his return to the diamond after missing the previous five weeks due to a wrist injury. The 2025 draft pick is slashing .364/.429/.545 in eight games played this season. Keyner Benitez (Jupiter), who made five appearances and posted a 2.79 ERA, is done for the season as he will undergo surgery on his left arm. This week's schedule Triple-A Jacksonville vs. Norfolk Double-A Pensacola vs. Columbus High-A Beloit at Quad Cities Low-A Jupiter vs. Daytona FCL Marlins vs. FCL Cardinals, FCL Nationals, FCL Astros and FCL Mets View full article

MIAMI, FL — The mighty Atlanta Braves weren't so mighty on Monday night against the Miami Marlins, slaughtered by a final score of 12-0. For the Marlins, it was their highest-scoring game of the 2026 season and they produced all of that offense within the first five innings. They accomplished this against a Braves team that holds a huge lead on top of the National League East and entered the game with Major League Baseball's highest winning percentage. "A lot of really good at-bats today," Marlins manager Clayton McCullough said. "It was nice to see us string a bunch of them together to create traffic, and then be able to cash in. (Javier) Sanoja's grand slam was probably the icing on that. Those couple innings I think as a group we really just put together high-quality at-bats." Javier Sanoja, who going into the previous series against the Tampa Bay Rays had only two hits during the month of May, came out of the Trop with a multi-hit game, both doubles, now followed by his first career grand slam. "You get off to a nice start during the year, then you hit a rough patch," McCullough said. "I think that's what Javi is getting back to, not try to swing yourself out of every plate appearance to make up for a previous plate appearance or a previous stretch of at-bats. The ability to like make contact is always there, and at times, it can be a detriment where you get yourself out." Sanoja became the ninth player in Marlins history and the first since Justin Bour (June 10, 2016 at Arizona) to hit a grand slam while batting ninth in the lineup. He also became the fourth non-pinch-hitter to hit a grand slam while batting ninth in the lineup, joining Enrique Hernández, Dontrelle Willis and Chris Hammond. Xavier Edwards followed Sanoja and hit his fifth home run of the season, marking back-to-back homers for the Marlins in the bottom of the fifth inning, making it a 12-0 game. His homer was off left-handed pitcher Aaron Bummer, marking his third home run off a left-handed pitcher. Sanoja and Edwards became the second pair of Marlins teammates in franchise history to hit back-to-back home runs with the first homer being a grand slam, joining Derrek Lee and Charles Johnson (April 7, 1998 at PHI). Rookie catcher Joe Mack enjoyed his best night at the plate since being recalled by the Marlins earlier this month. His RBI groundout opened the scoring in the second inning. Including a single and a bases-loaded walk later on, he drove in four total runs after entering Monday with only two through 12 career games. McCullough called it "his best collection of at-bats in a game." "Today was actually was pretty good," Mack said. "Having that good lead allowed me to slow it down, but the game really hasn't sped up on me all too much. Just being able to control it and kind of take a deep breath when you need to is definitely a big help." Mack is now slashing .225/.262/.300/.562 with six RBI and a 56 wRC+. It's been his defense that has certainly impressed, but the bat seems to be coming around as he has a hit in three straight games. Provided with plenty of run support, Max Meyer showed no mercy against the Braves. He tossed six innings of two-hit ball, striking out six. His season ERA is now down to 2.85 through 10 starts this season. Although he threw his fastball more than any other pitch (31%), it is his slider and sweeper that continues to be dominant. He had six whiffs on the slider and four of his six strikeouts came on the sweeper. Meyer through 10 starts now has a 2.85 ERA, 3.06 FIP, 10.06 K/9 and 3.19 BB/9. He is the only qualified starter in baseball who has yet to suffer a loss this season. He is also the sixth pitcher in Marlins history to not be charged with a loss through 10 starts to begin a season. The Marlins are now 7-3 when Meyer takes the mound for the Marlins. "He just continues to show the pitches and how his mix and everything has really come together," McCullough said. "He's such a better pitcher on the mound, but I think even the maturity was obscene from him, and he's just able to handle anything that comes his way during a game and just kind of put it behind him and keep going." Nearly six years removed from being selected with the third overall pick of the 2020 MLB Draft, Meyer is truly beginning to live up to the hype. This was the first time since 9/17/23 that the Marlins have defeated a team by 12 runs or more. It also marked the first 12-0 win in franchise history. With the win, the Marlins are now 22-26, four games under .500 and with a chance for a series split on Tuesday with Braxton Garrett taking the mound. For the Braves, it'll be Martin Pérez. First pitch is at 4:10 pm on Marlins.TV. View full article

ST. PETERSBURG, FL — Good role players are hard to find. They're the ones who provide defensive versatility, speed or clutch hits even when there isn't room for them in the starting lineup. Outfielder Esteury Ruiz so far is taking advantage of his limited opportunities with the Miami Marlins. "We'll try each day looking at how to best utilize the 13-man position player group in one way, and those guys that aren't starting to be ready for whether they come off the bench to play defense in a game, pinch-hit, pinch-run, whatever it may be," Marlins manager Clayton McCullough said. "Do something that day. Be ready for your moment that may come." The Marlins acquired Ruiz over the offseason from the Los Angeles Dodgers in a trade where Miami sent international pitching prospect Adriano Marrero the other way. He has been limited to 17 games since then because of a left oblique strain that he suffered late in spring training. Since coming off the injured list on April 23, Ruiz is slashing .222/.222/.519/.741 with two home runs, four RBI, seven stolen bases and a 99 wRC+. On Saturday against the Rays, Ruiz entered a tie game as a pinch-runner in the top of the 10th inning. He scored the go-ahead run, and later in the same inning, he helped seal a Marlins win by knocking in an RBI single. "He has swung the bat well," McCullough said. "He put together some good at-bats and handled himself well versus left thus far. It's a nice dynamic to have him on our team, and he's a great guy." Ruiz was already an accomplished base-stealer before joining the Marlins, most notably getting 67 steals as a rookie with the 2023 Oakland Athletics. The 27-year-old still has blazing speed, ranking in the 100th percentile of MLB players this season with a 30.1 feet per second Sprint Speed, according to Baseball Savant. He ranks second on the Marlins with seven stolen bases despite making only seven starts. He has yet to get caught on any of his attempts. Catching instructor and first base coach Craig Driver previously coached Ruiz with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2025. Driver described him as "easy to work with" and compared him to Billy Hamilton. Hamilton, who had a brief stint with the Marlins, stole 326 bases in 951 career games. "I think that they're both elite runners, where you kind of just like let them go," Driver said. "I feel like probably (Ruiz) is a little bit more refined in terms of how he studies and prepares than Billy was. Billy was just really fast, and so is Ruiz, but I think it helps. It helps make his life a little bit easier, because of the amount of homework that he's done. He knows exactly what he's looking for when he gets out there." Following Sunday's series finale against the Tampa Bay Rays, the Marlins lead Major League Baseball with 57 stolen bases. They're on pace to set a franchise record in that department, though they have also been caught stealing 17 times (second only to the Rays). As much as the Marlins aim to find fast players, they need to get on base to fully utilize their speed. Ruiz still has work to do there with a .222 OBP and no walks drawn yet this season. View full article

Marlins first base coach and catching instructor Craig Driver speaks with the media about the preparation that goes into stealing bases and what he's seen from Joe Mack, Esteury Ruiz, Liam Hicks and other Marlins players this season. View full video

ST. PETERSBURG, FL - Although the Miami Marlins fell to the Tampa Bay Rays in the Citrus Series opener by a final score of 7-2, Joe Mack has been a bright spot defensively for the Marlins. In the bottom of the sixth inning, Mack threw out Chandler Simpson trying to steal second. Simpson, who entered Friday's game in the 98th percentile in sprint speed, had only been caught stealing four times, tied for second least in baseball. Thankfully for Mack, he had crossed paths with him in Triple-A last season and had some prior preparation. "I just know that he's going to be a guy that you have to look out for," Mack said postgame. "He's a very, very fast athlete. It's just something that you got to prepare for and be ready for at all times." Mack's pop time on the throw was 1.80 seconds, the fastest amongst any Marlins catcher this season and the seventh fastest this season in baseball. Mack also holds the three quickest pop times of the Marlins season, and he has only played in 10 games. The throw was clocked at 81.7 mph. "That throw tonight was impressive," Marlins manager Clayton McCullough said. "The exchange and the accuracy that he was able to get on it. Even though the one that Mullins stole, he did all he could. He made a good throw off the line and (Mullins) just beat it." Through 10 games in the majors, Mack already holds the 12th quickest average pop time in MLB. He is quickly climbing the Statcast leaderboards for Blocks Above Average and Catchers Caught Stealing Above Average as well. The Marlins may be struggling as a team, but ever since Mack joined the big league club, defense behind the plate has seen a massive improvement. The only downside has been the bat, slashing .200/.226/.300/.526 with two RBI. His biggest issue has been the strikeouts, with already eleven on the season and two more on Friday. "I know my bat can definitely wake up a little bit more," Mack said. "I definitely haven't shown much on that aspect. Maybe it's just trying to do too much, but other than that, defensively I feel pretty confident within my ability to receive, block and throw the ball, It's something they obviously brought me up for, and showing that off is a good thing. The bat I think just needs to wake up a little bit. When that starts to roll, then we just go." For Janson Junk, it is now back-to-back starts where he has struggled. On Friday night, Junk went 5 2/3 innings pitched allowing seven runs on 10 hits (two home runs) while walking three and striking out four. "I think everything that could have happened wrong, happened," Junk said. "It was very frustrating. I was trying to battle, and it just didn't go my way tonight." In the bottom of the first inning, Junk surrendered a first-pitch homer to Yandy Diaz, marking his sixth of the season to give Tampa an early 2-0 lead. For Diaz, it was his 105th homer as a member of the Rays, moving him past Carl Crawford on the Rays all-time home run list. Junk allowed the home run on a sweeper that he left middle-middle. The second home run that Junk allowed came in the bottom of the sixth inning, when free-agent signing Cedric Mullins hit his third of the season to right field. This time, Junk threw a slider which landed towards the top of the strike zone, but Mullins took advantage of it, extending the Rays lead, 7-2. "That one leaked a little," Junk said. "I think that was more out of frustration. I got to be better in that moment after the ball hits whatever that is up there. Just seeing that I kind of affected me a little bit." Rays manager Kevin Cash made the decision to have lefty Ian Seymour start the game as an opener. With the Marlins struggling against left-handed pitching (.666 OPS going into Friday), Tampa becomes the second team to use this strategy, with the Washington Nationals doing it during the weekend series at home. Unlike the first time when Washington did this, it did not work early on, as Connor Norby took Seymour deep for his fourth home run of the season, making it a 2-1 game. The ball left the bat at 105.1 mph and went 412 feet to left field. After struggling to start the season, Jakob Marsee finally seems to be turning a corner, as he notched his second three-hit game of the season, capped off by a solo homer in the top of the sixth inning. He is now slashing .190/.307/.294/.601 with three home runs, 14 RBI, 13 stolen bases and a 76 wRC+. With the loss, the Marlins drop to a season-worst five games under .500 at 20-25. Sandy Alcantara takes the mound tomorrow for Miami. Last time he pitched inside Tropicana Field, he tossed a complete game during the 2023 season. First pitch is at 4:10 pm. View full article

ST. PETERSBURG, FL — Miami Marlins closer Pete Fairbanks is no stranger to the Citrus Series. The difference this weekend is he will be experiencing it as a Tampa Bay Rays opponent for the first time after spending the previous six and a half seasons with the organization. "It was nice to get back, go to the house, see the family and everybody," Fairbanks told traveling media ahead of Friday's game. "Different jersey, same building and still baseball. I'm still trying to go out there and do a whatever I can do to go win games." Originally a member of the Texas Rangers, the Rays acquired Fairbanks in a one-for-one trade in July 2019, sending infielder Nick Solak to the Rangers. From 2020-25, the tall right-hander enjoyed a run as one of the best relievers in baseball. In his time with the Rays, Fairbanks posted a 2.98 ERA in 256 ⅔ innings pitched. He ranks third in the franchise's history in saves (90), 24th in strikeouts (317) and fourth in appearances (267). Fairbanks also saw plenty of postseason action, making 12 total appearances (3.65 ERA), with three of those coming in the 2020 World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Fairbanks was asked to summarize what makes the Rays such an effective franchise despite their well-known payroll limitations. "I don't think that I can sum it up in a couple sentences," Fairbanks said. "From instilling confidence from the pitching side of things, forging relationships and making sure that the personal always trumps the business. There's so many things I've taken that I will take with me for wherever my career goes." Another former member of the Rays organization who has moved to Miami is Marlins president of baseball operations Peter Bendix. Fairbanks' one-year, $13M contract is the largest guarantee that Bendix has given to any free agent since taking the position in November 2023. The Marlins are trying to incorporate some of the Rays' best practices into their own operations, and Fairbanks is encouraged to see that. "Obviously when you have a POBO like Bendix come over, I think that people are influenced by where they came from," Fairbanks said. "You can look back for almost two decades now to really see how things have been built here in Tampa, and I don't think that there's a better comparison for the direction that he wants to take this." The 2026 Marlins have a couple of Fairbanks' former Tampa Bay teammates in Christopher Morel and Calvin Faucher. These teams have frequently done business with each other, making trades in six consecutive years, most recently a February exchange of Victor Mesa Jr. for minor league prospect Angel Brachi. "I think that if they're both very easy clubhouses to mesh with," Fairbanks said. "When you're able to make it easy for everybody to gel and to feel like they've always been there, that in itself is a conduct to success. Hopefully we continue to let that take shape here, and there's a good example over there." Fairbanks has had mixed results through 10 appearances with the Fish. He has converted five saves and posted a solid 3.33 FIP, but several ugly outings have bloated his ERA to 10.00. He was recently reinstated from the injured list on Wednesday. The Marlins and Rays kicked off a three-game set at Tropicana Field on Friday night. View full article