The Marlins have selected left-hander Josh Simpson’s contract from Triple-A Jacksonville, as first reported by Isaac Azout of Fish on First and later confirmed by the club. In a corresponding transaction, right-hander Robinson Piña was designated for assignment. Azout notes that Simpson will likely be available to pitch this afternoon in relief of Eury Pérez, who is making his third start of the season and has yet to throw more than four innings in a game.
If Simpson does indeed make it into today’s contest, he will be making his MLB debut. The 27-year-old did briefly get called up to the majors by the Marlins in 2023 but was DFA’d before he had the chance to get into a game. A 32nd-round pick by the Marlins all the way back in 2019, Simpson impressed during his pro debut in following the 2019 draft with a 2.25 ERA between rookie ball and the Low-A level that season. Unfortunately, his development was thrown off track by the cancelled minor league season in 2020. By 2021, he was struggling badly with his effectiveness at the High-A level, and while a move to Double-A the following season saw his numbers improve he never really mastered the Triple-A level in parts of three seasons there.
That is, of course, until this year. In 27 appearances (31 2/3 frames) this year for the club’s Jacksonville affiliate, Simpson has pitched to a solid 3.41 ERA. His underlying numbers are less encouraging, as he pairs a 12.7% walk rate with a strikeout rate on the wrong side of 20%. Simpson’s production this year has largely been thanks to keeping the ball in the park extremely effectively, as he’s allowed just one home run so far with a paltry 26.2% Hard-Hit rate. He’ll need to work on his command if he’s going to find success in the majors, but that ability to miss barrels and limit hard contact should help his arsenal play up a bit as he attempts to make a case for himself as a major league arm.
Making room for Simpson on the roster is Piña, who made is big league debut just yesterday. The 26-year-old product of the Dominican Republic allowed a solo home run but no other traffic in his inning of work for the Marlins yesterday. Piña worked mostly as a starter in Triple-A before his move to the major league bullpen, and had a 3.47 ERA across 13 appearances (11 starts) at the level prior to his promotion. The Marlins will have one week to either work out a trade involving Piña or attempt to pass him through waivers. If he clears waivers unclaimed, the Marlins will be able to outright him to the minors as a non-roster depth option moving forward.
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