The Marlins have placed Rule 5 pick Riley Ferrell on outright waivers, per Jake Kaplan of The Athletic (via Twitter). Other organizations will have a chance to claim him; otherwise, he’ll be offered back to the Astros.
Ferrell seemed on track to crack the Marlins’ roster out of camp, but the former third-round pick ended up being forced to the injured list to open the season. He was shifted to the 60-day IL, so was not occupying a 40-man roster spot, but would have needed one upon his activation.
Despite some stops and starts in his rehab work, Ferrell has thrown 10 1/3 innings of 0.87 ERA ball over seven appearances. He allowed just three base hits, but also managed only eight strikeouts against six walks. Evidently, the Marlins weren’t sufficiently impressed to give Ferrell his first MLB opportunity.