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Marlins Notes: Hill, Cabrera, Morlando

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Derek Hill has seemingly pulled ahead of Dane Myers for the Marlins starting center field job, writes Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. Both players have put up solid numbers this spring, and Jackson suggests they’re each likely to begin the year on the active roster.

Hill, 29, is out of options and cannot be sent down without going on waivers. The former first-round pick has bounced around the waiver wire for the past couple seasons. Miami claimed the speedster last August. Hill hit .234/.259/.402 with four homers through 114 plate appearances. He showed decent pop but struck out 39 times while drawing only two walks. Hill’s plate discipline has been an issue throughout his career. He’s a .233/.276/.353 hitter with a 30% strikeout rate in 476 big league plate appearances.

Myers has better numbers in a smaller sample. The 29-year-old has a .265/.315/.407 slash through 178 trips to the plate. That’d be difficult to sustain unless he improves upon a 30.9% strikeout rate. Myers still has an option remaining, so the Marlins could send him to Triple-A. His ability to play all three outfield positions would give him a good chance to stick as a fourth outfielder even if he loses the center field camp battle.

Hill has hit .259/.375/.481 with five walks and seven strikeouts in nine games this spring. He has connected on a pair of home runs. Myers is hitting .300/.481/.300 with seven walks and strikeouts apiece over nine contests. He doesn’t have an extra-base hit yet.

The Marlins have very little certainty in their position player group. Right fielder Jesús Sánchez and shortstop Xavier Edwards are the only two players who should have lineup spots secured even if they get out to slow starts. There’s more stability in the rotation. Sandy Alcantara, Ryan Weathers, Max Meyer, Cal Quantrill and Edward Cabrera entered camp with decent holds on starting spots.

Cabrera’s status could be in question after he left Thursday’s start with a blister on his middle finger (link via Jordan McPherson of The Miami Herald). Manager Clayton McCullough downplayed the concern, though this has been a recurring issue. A blister on the same finger sent Cabrera to the injured list in the final week of the 2021 season.

Even if he’s healthy enough to start the season, the 26-year-old righty’s performance could put his rotation spot in jeopardy. Cabrera has been rocked for 10 runs on seven hits (including three homers) with four walks and two hit batters in only 3 2/3 innings this spring. Valente Bellozo, who had a 3.67 ERA but uninspiring peripherals in 13 starts last season, would probably be the next man up. Bellozo hasn’t done himself many favors in camp either, allowing 10 runs on 14 hits (four homers) through 8 1/3 frames.

In other news out of camp, 2024 first-round pick PJ Morlando will not play in the Spring Breakout prospect series. Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports that Morlando underwent an ulnar nerve transposition on his left (non-throwing) elbow on Wednesday. He’ll be sidelined for 8-10 weeks and will begin the season on the minor league injured list. Morlando, a lefty-hitting outfielder, was the 16th pick out of high school last summer. A back injury limited him to one game after the draft. Baseball America ranks him eighth among Miami prospects, praising his offensive upside but writing that he’ll likely end up in the corner outfield or at first base.

Marlins Giving Jesus Sanchez Center Field Reps In Camp

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The Marlins will get Jesús Sánchez reps in center field this spring, manager Clayton McCullough said this morning (relayed by Isaac Azout of Fish on First). The 27-year-old still projects as Miami’s right fielder on most days but could see some action in center if he shows well in camp.

“We think he’s more than athletic enough, he’s done it in the past and he’s graded out well as an outfielder. To us, there’s no downside to do this in Spring Training,” McCullough said. The first-year skipper noted that he expects Dane Myers and Derek Hill to combine for the majority of playing time up the middle, though Sánchez could seemingly also factor in there.

Sánchez started nearly half of Miami’s games in center field back in 2022. He has moved almost exclusively to the corner outfield since then. He logged 58 innings in center two seasons ago and didn’t play there at all last year. Sánchez has primarily played right field while picking up a handful of starts in left.

The defensive grades have been solid, if unexceptional. Sánchez has graded as a league average defender by Statcast’s metrics in every season of his career. Defensive Runs Saved has been slightly more bullish on his corner outfield work, typically rating him a little better than average. DRS has graded him nine runs above average in over 3100 career innings. Both metrics felt his 2022 center field work was close to neutral.

Sánchez has average speed with good arm strength. He’s better suited for right field but probably athletic enough to play center on a part-time basis. Myers and Hill are each faster and better all-around athletes. They should provide better defense up the middle, but neither has much of an MLB track record. Myers, 29 next month, has a decent .265/.315/.407 slash over 66 career games. He has struck out in more than 30% of his plate appearances with a middling 5.6% walk rate. The 29-year-old Hill has hit .233/.276/.353 over parts of five MLB seasons.

Somewhat remarkably, the 27-year-old Sánchez is the most experienced hitter on Miami’s roster. He’s the only Marlins position player with over three years of service time. The former top prospect has settled in as a capable regular in right field. He has hit between 13 and 18 home runs in each of the last four seasons. He’s coming off a .252/.313/.417 showing that more or less aligns with his league average .240/.308/.428 career batting line.

The Marlins will have Sánchez in the everyday lineup somewhere in the outfield, most frequently in right. He could find himself on the move at the deadline. His $4.5MM arbitration salary makes him the second-highest paid player on the team behind Sandy Alcantara (not including the $17MM still owed to released outfielder Avisaíl García). He’s under club control for three seasons but could wind up as a non-tender candidate in a year or two as his projected salaries continue to climb. It stands to reason that the Marlins would be comfortable moving him if they find decent interest over the summer. Sánchez would be a slightly more valuable trade piece if he shows he’s an adequate center fielder, as that’d position him for a potential fourth outfield role on a contender.

Marlins Designate Cristian Pache For Assignment

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3:10pm: The Marlins have now officially announced these moves.

12:14pm: The Marlins are set to reinstate outfielder Dane Myers from the injured list and will designate fellow outfielder Cristian Pache for assignment in order to create roster space, reports Christina De Nicola of MLB.com.

Pache, 25, spent about seven weeks with the Fish after being claimed off waivers out of the Orioles organization in early August. He appeared in 35 games but totaled only 64 plate appearances with a bleak .183/.234/.283 batting line and 32.8% strikeout rate. The former top prospect played his typical brand of premium defense, but his continued offensive struggles and lack of minor league options have made it hard for him to stick on a roster this year. He’s also seen big league action with the Phillies and O’s in 2024, to say nothing of prior looks in Atlanta and Oakland.

Pache has appeared in parts of five big league seasons and tallied 610 trips to the plate over that half-decade run. His career .181/.243/.275 slash is right in line with the numbers he posted in both Philadelphia and Miami this year. Even in his top prospect days, Pache was viewed as a slam-dunk defender in center field but a work in progress at the plate. His offensive development has largely stalled out, but he’s been worth 11 Defensive Runs Saved and 17 Outs Above Average in just over 1500 career innings of defense in the majors. He’ll now head to waivers and potentially land with what would be his sixth organization in the past two calendar years.

The 28-year-old Myers has been sidelined since mid-July with a fractured ankle. He recently wrapped up a minor league rehab assignment during which he went 4-for-12 with a pair of homers in the final few games of the Triple-A season. Myers appeared in 40 games with Miami earlier this season and in 95 plate appearances turned in a sound .265/.337/.422 slash with a pair of homers, five doubles, a triple and four steals (in five attempts). Like Pache, he’s a right-handed hitter who can handle all three outfield positions. Myers doesn’t have the same defensive ability, but he’s a far better hitter than Pache and still has a minor league option remaining beyond the current season.

Marlins Select Jonathan Bermudez

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The Marlins announced that they have selected the contract of left-hander Jonathan Bermudez from Triple-A Jacksonville.  To clear space on both the 26-man and 40-man rosters, Miami optioned righty Emmanuel Ramirez to Triple-A, and moved outfielder Dane Myers from the 10-day injured list to the 60-day IL.

The 28-year-old Bermudez will be making his Major League debut whenever he appears in a game.  A 23rd-round pick for the Astros in the 2018 draft, Bermudez pitched in Houston’s farm system until he was claimed off waivers by the Giants during the 2022 season.  San Francisco parted ways with Bermudez just prior to Opening Day 2023 and he then caught on with Miami, spending most of that time at the Marlins’ Double-A affiliate.

Bermudez had a 2.53 ERA over 74 2/3 Double-A innings this year, but his time in Jacksonville was much rockier, with a 6.46 ERA to show for 23 2/3 innings of work (starting three of six appearances).  This performance continued Bermudez’s lack of Triple-A success, as he has a 7.16 ERA over 137 total frames of Triple-A ball counting his time with the Giants’ and Astros’ top affiliates as well as his work in Jacksonville this season.  Bermudez’s career Triple-A numbers also include a 23.69% strikeout rate and 11.13% walk rate.

While Bermudez has mostly worked as a starter in his career, it seems likelier that he’ll work out of the bullpen in Miami.  Andrew Nardi was just placed on the 15-day IL yesterday, leaving the Marlins with just Kent Emanuel as the lone left-hander in the relief corps.  Bermudez could add more depth from the left side and eat some innings in long relief, and it certainly seems possible he might pick up a start or two as the Marlins play out the string.

Myers has been out of action since fracturing his ankle in mid-July, so the move to the 60-day IL will now push his activation date to mid-September at the earliest.  In MLB.com’s most recent update on Myers’ status, he is now out of a walking boot and is starting to ramp up workouts in the hopes of a return before the season is over.

Marlins’ Dane Myers Fractures Left Ankle

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The Marlins announced that outfielder Dane Myers suffered a fracture in his left ankle on Saturday.  Myers will visit a foot specialist to determine the severity of the injury, though the good news is that surgery isn’t expected to be required.  Craig Mish of the Miami Herald (X link) writes that for now, Myers will miss roughly 6-8 weeks.  An official injured-list placement for Myers could take place at any point during the All-Star break, or at least prior to the Marlins’ first game after the break on Friday.

The injury occurred in ignominious fashion, as Myers hurt his ankle by kicking the clubhouse door in frustration on Saturday.  Myers had been ejected in the eighth inning of the Marlins’ 10-6 loss to the Reds after vehemently arguing a third strike call from home plate umpire Derek Thomas.

“I took a swipe at the door with my foot, and I didn’t think I kicked it that hard, but I fractured my foot,” Myers told MLB.com and other media.  “That’s something you have to do as a pro.  It’s the last missing piece in my game: staying level-headed and not letting the emotions take over.”

A sixth-round pick for the Tigers in the 2017 draft, Myers didn’t get a look in the big leagues until 2023, after Miami had claimed him off waivers from Detroit during the 2022-23 offseason.  Myers appeared in 22 games and hit .269/.286/.358 over 70 plate appearances last year, and was performing well with more playing time this season — a .265/.337/.422 slash line and two home runs over 95 PA in 40 games.

With the Marlins in full rebuild mode, it stands to reason that Myers would’ve continued to earn even more playing time once some more veterans were cleared off the roster.  In particular, manager Skip Schumaker said that Myers would be getting more time in center field even prior to the trade deadline since Jazz Chisholm Jr. will now be deployed more often as a second baseman.  Even with Myers now sidelined, Schumaker said the team won’t be changing its plans with Chisholm, which only adds to the speculation that Chisholm’s position change is meant as a potential showcase for trade suitors in advance of July 30 trade deadline.

Marlins Place Avisail Garcia On 10-Day Injured List

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The Marlins announced a flurry of roster moves this morning, highlighted by the club placing veteran outfielder Avisail Garcia on the 10-day injured list with a left hamstring strain. Outfielder Dane Myers was recalled from Triple-A in a corresponding move. The Marlins also selected the contract of right-hander Emmanuel Ramirez, with lefty Kent Emanuel being designated for assignment in the corresponding move. Craig Mish of the Miami Herald first reported that Myers and Ramirez would be joining the club, while MLB.com’s Cristina De Nicola first reported Garcia’s IL stint and Emanuel’s DFA. Daniel Alvarez-Montes of El ExtraBase first reported that Garcia was headed to the shelf with a hamstring injury.

Garcia, 33 in June, signed a four-year, $53MM contract with the Marlins prior to the 2022 season and has struggled with injuries and ineffectiveness ever since. He’s been limited to just 153 games since arriving in Miami by hamstring and back injuries, and has posted a paltry .218/.260/.322 slash line with a 61 wRC+ and -1.3 fWAR when healthy enough to take the field for the club. His 51 trips to the plate for Miami this year have been a moderate improvement over his previous work in the organization, though his wRC+ of 75 is still well below league average. While it’s not yet clear how long Garcia will be on the shelf, his previous hamstring strains with the club have typically sidelined him for about a month at a time.

Filling in for Garcia in the club’s outfield mix will be Myers, a 28-year-0ld who made his big league debut with Miami last season. Initially drafted in the sixth round of the 2017 draft by the Tigers, Myers appeared in just 22 games for the Marlins last year, slashing a pedestrian .269/.286/.358 in 70 trips to the plate. He’s struggled similarly at the Triple-A level this season with a .237/.336/.323 slash line in 107 plate appearances with the club’s affiliate in Jacksonville. Nonetheless, Myers figures to be part of the club’s rotating outfield mix alongside Jesus Sanchez and Nick Gordon, serving as a right-handed complement to the pair of lefties.

On the pitching side of things, the Marlins are set to welcome Ramirez onto the roster ahead of what will be his big league debut once he makes it into a game. The 29-year-old has spent more than a decade in the minors while pitching in the Padres, Braves, and Yankees systems but will now get his first major league opportunity with Miami after impressive with seven strong outings at the Triple-A level for the club this season. During that time, Ramirez has pitched to a 3.86 ERA in 11 2/3 innings of work while striking out a whopping 32% of batters faced. If the right-hander can keep that level of production up in the majors, he’ll surely be a major asset to a Marlins bullpen that has lackluster 4.84 ERA that’s good for the eighth-worst figure in the majors.

As for Emanuel, this is the second time he’s been designated for assignment by Miami this season. He’ll return to DFA limbo just one day after being selected back onto the roster with a 10.50 ERA in six innings of work for the club across his two stints in the majors. The Marlins will once again have seven days to either trade the lefty or attempt to pass him through waivers. If they succeed in doing the latter, Rivera will have the choice between remaining with the club as non-roster depth until and unless they decide to select him to the roster a third time or simply electing free agency in hopes of finding a better deal elsewhere.

Marlins Announce Several Roster Moves

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The Marlins announced a handful of roster moves this morning, activating outfielder Jorge Soler from the 10-day injured list and selecting the contract of right-hander Chi Chi Gonzalez. In corresponding moves, the club optioned left-hander Josh Simpson and outfielder Dane Myers to Triple-A. Miami’s 40-man roster is now full following Gonzalez’s selection.

Soler returns after missing most of the month to this point with a right oblique strain. The 31-year-old is in the midst of his strongest season since 2019, having slashed .240/.329/.513 with 35 home runs and a wRC+ of 124 this season. Soler’s return should provide a boost to a Miami lineup that has posted a collective wRC+ of just 84 since Soler headed to the shelf. Soler has primarily played DH while mixing in occasional starts in right field throughout the 2023 campaign. Assuming that trend contributes, Soler figures to push Josh Bell from DH to first base, with Luis Arraez moving from first to second while Xavier Edwards heads to the bench, though Soler’s return could also cut into the playing time of corner bats Bryan De La Cruz and Jesus Sanchez should he see more time in right going forward.

As for Gonzalez, the former first round pick made his Marlins debut earlier this season, posting 2 2/3 innings of work for the club. He allowed a 3.38 ERA in that brief cameo, striking out two while walking one. Gonzalez was designated for assignment back in May to clear room on the 40-man roster for top pitching prospect Eury Perez, but stayed in the Marlins organization throughout this season. His results at the Triple-A level have left something to be desired, with a 6.07 ERA and a strikeout rate of just 13% in 121 2/3 innings of work for the club’s affiliate in Jacksonville. Still, as a veteran in his seventh big league season, the 31-year-old righty can offer Miami’s bullpen a depth option with previous experience in both a relief role and as a member of the starting rotation.

Exiting the roster in favor of incoming veterans are Simpson, a 26-year-old lefty who has yet to make his major league debut, and outfielder Myers, who made his MLB debut earlier this year and has slashed .269/.286/.358 in 70 trips to the plate with the Marlins since then. Both players figure to return to Triple-A to act as depth options while Miami enters the home stretch of their push toward the club’s first playoff appearance in a full season since 2003.

Marlins Place Sandy Alcantara, Jorge Soler On IL

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The Marlins announced that they have placed right-hander Sandy Alcantara on the 15-day injured list with a right forearm flexor strain. Also, outfielder/designated hitter Jorge Soler going on the 10-day injured list due to a right oblique strain and right-hander Geoff Hartlieb has been designated for assignment. Outfielder Dane Myers and right-hander Edward Cabrera have been recalled while left-hander Devin Smeltzer had his contract selected.

It’s a batch of unfortunate and ill-timed news for the Marlins, who are in the thick of a playoff race. They haven’t qualified for the playoffs in a full season since 2003 but have a chance this year, currently just half a game behind the Reds for the final Wild Card spot in the National League. The club hasn’t provided any specifics about the expected absences but it seems possible they might have to undergo the rest of the race without either their best pitcher or their best power hitter.

Alcantara is one of the best pitchers in the sport when at his peak, which he showed last year. He finished 2022 with a 2.28 earned run average over 228 2/3 innings, earning the National League Cy Young in the process. He struck out 23.4% of batters, walked just 5.6% and kept the ball on the ground at a 53.4% rate. Here in 2023, his ERA has jumped to 4.14, but he seemed to have righted the ship after a rough start. He had a 5.08 ERA through June 21 but has a much more palatable 3.13 ERA since then. Soler, meanwhile, is an incredibly inconsistent hitter but is one of the best in the league when on a heater. He has 35 home runs this year and is slashing .240/.329/.513 overall for a wRC+ of 124.

Subtracting that arm from the pitching staff and that bat from the lineup is obviously less than ideal, especially when considering the timing. There’s just over three weeks remaining in the regular season, which doesn’t give either player much time to get healthy before it could be too late. Further updates will undoubtedly come after more tests, but both injuries are worrisome. Oblique strains are notoriously frustrating and can often keep players sidelined for weeks, even in mild cases.

A flexor strain, meanwhile, can be even more serious. Both Dustin May of the Dodgers and Drew Rasmussen of the Rays were diagnosed with flexor strains earlier this year before each required season-ending surgery. That’s not to say that Alcantara is necessarily going to follow the same path, but it shows the potential severity of today’s news.

Looking ahead to the winter, Alcantara won’t be significantly impacted from a financial perspective as he signed an extension that runs through 2026 with a club option for 2027. Soler, on the other hand, has one year and $9MM remaining on his deal but can opt out at season’s end. Assuming he is healthy, he should be able to top that guarantee on the open market based on his strong season and the lack of impact bats available this winter.

For now, it seems as though Cabrera will jump into the rotation to replace Alcantara. The 25-year-old posted a 4.79 ERA in 17 starts earlier this year, with an unsightly 15.4% walk rate, before getting optioned down to the minors. In five Triple-A starts since then, he has a 2.22 ERA with a 10.6% walk rate that’s still high but a marked improvement over his major league results this year.

Hartlieb, 29, signed a minor league deal with the Marlins in the offseason and had his contract selected a month ago. He’s only been able to get into two big league games in that time, spending much of it on optional assignment. He has a 3.29 ERA in 38 1/3 Triple-A innings this year, with a 25.3% strikeout rate, 9.3% walk rate and 44.7% ground ball rate. He has less than two years of service time but will be out of options next year. The Marlins will place him on waivers in the coming days. If he were to clear, he would have the right to elect free agency by virtue of having a previous career outright.

Smeltzer, 27, signed a minor league deal with the Marlins in the offseason and has been on and off their roster all year. This is the fourth time the club has selected his contract this season, with each of the previous three instances eventually resulting in him being designated for assignment and accepting an outright assignment. He’s tossed 18 2/3 innings for the club this year with a 5.79 ERA, 18.1% strikeout rate, 4.8% walk rate and 32.8% ground ball rate.

Craig Mish and Jordan McPherson, both of the Miami Herald, relayed the details of these transactions prior to the official club announcement.

Marlins Place Jazz Chisholm Jr. On IL, Designate Eli Villalobos

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The Marlins have placed outfielder Jazz Chisholm Jr. on the 10-day injured list due to a left oblique strain, per Daniel Álvarez-Montes of El Extrabase (Twitter links). This move opens an active roster spot for infielder/outfielder Dane Myers, whose impending promotion was reported earlier. Right-hander Eli Villalobos was designated for assignment to open a 40-man spot for Myers.

It’s yet another frustrating injury setback for Chisholm, who has dealt with a number of them over the past year. He broke out with a strong .254/.325/.535 showing last year, 139 wRC+, but was placed on the injured list at the end of June. He was diagnosed with a stress fracture in his back and didn’t return in the second half of the season. Here in 2023, he played 39 games while transitioning from second base to center field before landing on the IL due to turf toe. He’s now back on the IL yet again just one week after being reinstated.

The timing of this injury is particularly unfortunate, as he had been red hot in the past week, hitting .348/.375/.696. That’s a small sample size, but it was an encouraging sign as he had hit just .229/.291/.403 earlier in the season. He’ll now be out of action for an undetermined amount of time. Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald relays that Chisholm will get an MRI to determine the severity but it’s at least serious enough for the club to have him sit out the next seven games leading into the All-Star break.

As for Villalobos, 26, he was just claimed off waivers from the Pirates a week ago but is now quickly in DFA limbo yet again. It’s been a busy few months of transactions for the right-hander, who was originally added to the Marlins’ roster in November. He was designated for assignment in April and went to the Pirates on waivers before coming back to the Fish last week.

Amid all those transactions, he’s managed to throw 23 innings in the minors this year with a 6.26 ERA. His 21.2% strikeout rate is close to average but his 19.5% walk rate is more than double the major league par. His results last year were far stronger, as he posted a 2.86 ERA while striking out 32.7% of opponents and walking just 9.4%.

The Marlins will now have a week to trade him or pass him through waivers. Despite his numbers this year, he could garner interest based on last year’s work and the fact that he still has a full slate of options.

Marlins To Select Dane Myers

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The Marlins are planning to select the contract of infielder/outfielder Dane Myers prior to today’s game, reports Craig Mish of SportsGrid and the Miami Herald (Twitter link). They’ll need to make a corresponding 40-man roster move to open a spot for Myers, who’ll be making his MLB debut.

Myers, 27, was a sixth-round pick by the Tigers in 2017 but made his way to the Marlins organization this offseason by way of the minor league phase of the Rule 5 Draft. He’s had a monster season between Double-A and Triple-A, slashing a combined .335/.423/.533 with 13 homers, eight doubles, a pair of triples and an impressive 16-for-17 showing in stolen base attempts.

That production is all the more impressive when considering that Myers was drafted as a pitcher and spent the first three years of his pro career on the mound. He barely hit at all from 2017-19, didn’t play during the canceled minor league season in 2020, and has only been a position player since the 2021 season. He’s logged time in all three outfield spots this season and also played both infield corners.

Myers will give the Fish another right-handed bat to further deepen a lineup that is among the best in baseball versus southpaws. Marlins hitters have posted a combined .301/.350/.442 batting line against left-handed pitching this season — a major reason they find themselves leading the pack in the National League Wild Card chase.

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