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George Soriano

Cardinals, Nationals Swap George Soriano, Andre Granillo

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The Nationals and Cardinals announced a one-for-one swap of righty relievers. St. Louis acquires George Soriano while Washington picks up Andre Granillo. Washington placed starter Trevor Williams on the 60-day injured list in a corresponding move. The Nationals had designated Soriano for assignment last week when they claimed lefty Ken Waldichuk off waivers, so they needed to open a 40-man spot for Granillo.

Soriano will hopefully find some certainty after a hectic offseason. This is the fourth time he has changed organizations since November. The 26-year-old had spent his entire career with the Marlins until they placed him on waivers at the beginning of the offseason. He landed with Baltimore, Atlanta and Washington via successive waiver claims and designations.

A veteran of parts of three seasons, Soriano has an earned run average just under 6.00 over 118 big league innings. He has a league average 22% strikeout rate against a moderately concerning 10.3% walk percentage. The biggest issue is that he has been very homer-prone, surrendering 1.75 longballs per nine innings. Soriano works in the 95-96 mph range with his sinker and four-seam fastball while using a slider and changeup fairly frequently. He’s out of minor league options and either needs to break camp or be sent back into DFA limbo.

It’s a good sign for Soriano’s chances of sticking on a roster that St. Louis parted with an MLB reliever to jump the waiver order. Granillo, 25, is a former 14th-round draft choice who was called up for the first time last June. He was up and down from Triple-A Memphis for the rest of the season. Granillo got into 14 MLB games, posting a 4.71 ERA through his first 21 innings. He has posted high strikeout and walk rates throughout his minor league career but had more of a pitch-to-contact approach in his limited big league work.

Granillo leans most heavily on his slider while sitting 94-95 with the fastball. He sporadically mixes a changeup but is mostly a two-pitch reliever. He’s coming off an excellent season at Triple-A Memphis, where he turned in a 1.29 ERA with a 36% strikeout rate and a career-low 8.7% walk percentage across 42 innings. He still has a pair of minor league options remaining.

It’s surprising that the Cardinals parted with Granillo for a pitcher who was waived three times in an offseason. They’re evidently not bullish on Granillo’s chances of translating his Triple-A production into success at the highest level. It’s also worth noting that they never had an opportunity to grab Soriano off waivers. Offseason waiver priority is in inverse order of last season’s record, and St. Louis had a higher win percentage than each of Baltimore, Atlanta, or Washington did. The Cardinals and Nats each have plenty of opportunities in a wide open bullpen.

Williams’ IL move is a formality. He underwent an internal brace surgery to repair the UCL in his elbow last July. That’s a year-long recovery process. He’ll aim for a return sometime after the All-Star Break.

Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported the trade shortly before the announcements.

Nationals Claim Ken Waldichuk, Designate George Soriano For Assignment

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The Nationals have claimed left-hander Ken Waldichuk off waivers from the Rays, according to announcements from both clubs. Tampa had designated him for assignment a few days ago to make room for infielder Ben Williamson, acquired as part of the three-team trade headlined by Brendan Donovan. To open a spot for Waldichuk today, the Nats have designated right-hander George Soriano for assignment.

Waldichuk, 28, was once a notable prospect but his stock is down. When his stock was high, the Yankees traded him to the Athletics as part of the Frankie Montas deal. Over 2021 and 2022, between those two clubs, he tossed 205 minor league innings with a 2.94 earned run average, 35.3% strikeout rate and 10.2% walk rate. Baseball America ranked him as Oakland’s #5 prospect going into 2023.

He got a lengthy run in the majors in 2023 but posted a 5.36 ERA. Tommy John surgery wiped out his 2024 and part of his 2025. When he returned last summer, the A’s sent him to the minors, where he put up an 8.65 ERA in 51 Triple-A innings.

That performance has pushed him into the DFA carousel but teams clearly still have some faith in a bounceback. The A’s designated him for assignment in December when they acquired Jeff McNeil. He was claimed by Atlanta, who later designated him for assignment and traded him to the Rays for cash.

The Nats may try to pass him through waivers later but they would be a good landing spot for him if he can hang onto a roster spot. Their rotation has very little certainty, especially now that MacKenzie Gore has been traded to the Rangers. They project to have a largely unproven group consisting of Josiah Gray, Cade Cavalli, Foster Griffin, Brad Lord, Jake Irvin, Mitchell Parker and others. Waldichuk still has options and could be sent to Triple-A as depth while the Nats experiment with the guys in that group.

Soriano, 27 in March, spent his entire career with the Marlins until recently. He tossed 118 innings for Miami over the past three seasons with a 5.95 ERA. He exhausted his three option seasons in that time, which nudged him onto the DFA carousel.

Teams are clearly still intrigued, despite the lack of major league success thus far. That’s probably because he is coming off a strong season in the minors. He threw 42 2/3 Triple-A innings last year with a 2.32 ERA, 28.8% strikeout rate, 8.8% walk rate and 55.7% ground ball rate. Since the end of last season, he has gone from Miami to Baltimore, Atlanta and Washington via the waiver wire.

Since he’s out of options, those teams have tried to get him through waivers to become non-roster depth. He has less than three years of service time and doesn’t have a previous career outright, so he wouldn’t have the right to reject an outright assignment in favor of electing free agency. The Nats can take as long as five days to explore trade interest before putting him on the wire but could be motivated to do so sooner. The 60-day injured list opens up next week, which will provide teams greater flexibility for fringe roster moves.

Photo courtesy of Kiyoshi Mio, Imagn Images

Nationals Claim George Soriano, Designate Tsung-Che Cheng For Assignment

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The Nationals announced that they have claimed right-hander George Soriano off waivers from the Braves. Atlanta designated him for assignment earlier this week when they claimed José Suarez off waivers from the Orioles. To open a spot for Soriano today, Washington has designated infielder Tsung-Che Cheng for assignment.

Both players involved here have been riding the DFA carousel this winter. Soriano finished the 2025 season with the Marlins but has since gone to Baltimore, Atlanta and now Washington via waivers. Cheng was on the Pirates as of a few months ago but has gone to the Rays, Mets and Nationals via the waiver wire. For each of these two and many others this winter, it seems that several teams are hoping to pass the player through waivers, therefore keeping him as non-roster depth.

Soriano, 27 in March, hasn’t found major league success yet. He logged 118 innings for the Marlins over the past three years, allowing 5.95 earned runs per nine with a 22% strikeout rate, 10.3% walk rate and 38.7% ground ball rate. He exhausted his three option years in that time.

But he did just wrap up a strong season in the minors. He tossed 42 2/3 Triple-A innings last year with a 2.32 ERA. He struck out 28.8% of batters faced, gave out walks at an 8.8% clip and induced grounders on 55.7% of balls in play. He averages about 96 miles per hour with both his four-seamer and sinker while also featuring a slider and a changeup.

Teams are clearly intrigued by Soriano but seemingly prefer to have him aboard in a non-roster capacity. If he is passed through waivers at some point, he would not have the right to elect free agency since he has less than three years of service time and does not have a previous career outright.

Perhaps the Nats will put him back on waivers later but they could certainly use the arms. The Washington bullpen had a 5.59 ERA last year, worst in the majors. They subtracted from the group when they traded Jose A. Ferrer to the Mariners for catcher Harry Ford. If Soriano can hang onto his roster spot, he can be controlled for five full seasons.

Cheng, 24, still has an option remaining but his appeal is nonetheless borderline enough for him to be barely clinging to a 40-man spot. He appears to have a decent floor as a speed-and-defense infielder. Throughout his minor league career, he has played a bunch of the three infield spots to the left of first base, generally getting good reviews for his glovework. He’s been good for 20-ish steals per year in the minors as well.

The bat is more of a question. He hit well through Single-A but has struggled at the upper levels. Over the past two years, he has a combined .217/.319/.312 batting line on the farm, which translates to an 81 wRC+. He was also sent to the plate seven times in the majors and struck out three times without getting a hit.

It appears he has some appeal as a glove-first depth infielder but not enough for any club to put him firmly in their plans. The Nats will likely put him back on waivers soon. DFA limbo can last as long as a week but the waiver process takes 48 hours, so he should be back on the wire at some point in the next five days.

Photo courtesy of Jerome Miron, Imagn Images

Braves Claim José Suarez, Designate George Soriano For Assignment

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The Braves have claimed left-hander José Suarez off waivers from the Orioles, according to announcements from both clubs. The southpaw was designated for assignment by Baltimore last week when they claimed infielder Weston Wilson. Atlanta designated right-hander George Soriano for assignment today as a corresponding move for this claim.

It was less than two weeks ago that Atlanta put Suarez on waivers, which is when Baltimore claimed him. It might seem odd for a team to put a player on waivers and then claim him right back shortly thereafter. Simultaneously, it might be strange to see a club claim a guy and then put him right back on the wire so quickly. In these instances, the teams are hoping to be the one to get the player through waivers unclaimed, which would allow them to keep him in a non-roster capacity. Atlanta and Baltimore are two of the most aggressive clubs at attempting this manoeuver.

This appears to be the sixth time in this offseason that one club has claimed a player from the other. Atlanta claimed both Carson Ragsdale and Josh Walker from the Orioles in November, though Ragsdale was later non-tendered and signed in Japan. Walker was put back on waivers in December, when the Orioles reclaimed him. Baltimore passed him through waivers unclaimed in January. Atlanta then claimed Soriano from Baltimore, before Baltimore claimed Suarez from Atlanta. Now Atlanta has claimed Suarez back again.

Suarez, 28, has appeared in the past seven big leagues seasons. He spent most of that time as a swingman for the Angels but also appeared with Atlanta in 2025. For his career, he has thrown 396 big league innings, allowing 5.30 earned runs per nine.

His 2025 season was mostly spent in the minors. He only made seven big league appearances for Atlanta. He had a strong 1.86 ERA but that was in a small sample with strong indications it would not be sustainable. His 51.9% ground ball rate was good but his 19.8% strikeout rate and 12.3% walk rate were both subpar. He was fortunate to allow a .259 batting average on balls in play while posting an 84.7% strand rate.

His Triple-A results were more impressive, despite the fact that his 3.53 ERA was higher. He struck out 27.6% of batters faced at that level while only giving out walks 5% of the time. He averaged around 93 miles per hour with both his four-seamer and sinker last year, while also featuring a slider, curveball and changeup.

At the end of the season, he and Atlanta avoided arbitration by agreeing to a $900K salary for the 2026 season. He is out of options and but it seems the club was hoping to get him to the minors by passing him through waivers. Baltimore intervened in their first attempt but Atlanta has snagged him back. He has a roster spot for now but perhaps Atlanta will make another attempt to get him through waivers in the future.

Soriano, 27 in March, is in a somewhat similar position. He pitched for the Marlins over the past three years but exhausted his options in the process. Now that he’s out of options, it seems there’s a small battle as these clubs hope to be the one to pass him through waivers unclaimed, therefore keeping him as non-roster depth in the minors. The Marlins put him on the wire in November, when he was claimed by the Orioles. Baltimore put him back on waivers about three weeks ago but Atlanta claimed him.

He hasn’t yet found major league success but is coming off a good year on the farm. He has a 5.95 ERA in 118 major league innings. He tossed 42 2/3 innings in Triple-A last year with a 2.32 ERA, 28.8% strikeout rate, 8.8% walk rate and 55.7% ground ball rate. He averages about 96 mph with his four-seamer and sinker while also featuring a slider and a changeup.

Now that he has been designated for assignment again, he is in DFA limbo and can be there for a week at most. The waiver process takes 48 hours, so the club could hold him for the next five days while exploring trade interest, but they could also put him back on the wire sooner if they so choose.

Photo courtesy of Denis Poroy, Imagn Images

Braves Claim George Soriano, Designate Brett Wisely For Assignment

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The Braves have claimed right-hander George Soriano off waivers from the Orioles, according to announcements from both clubs. Baltimore designated him for assignment earlier this week. To open a 40-man spot, Atlanta designated infielder Brett Wisely for assignment.

Soriano, 27 in March, spent his entire career with the Marlins until recently. The Orioles claimed him off waivers in November. Baltimore loves to claim players from the wire and then put them back out there later, hoping the player clears waivers and can stay in the Orioles’ system. They recently designated Soriano for assignment when they claimed outfielder Jhonkensy Noel. They later designated Noel for assignment when they claimed Marco Luciano.

In this case, Baltimore’s attempt to get Soriano through waivers has not worked, with Atlanta scooping him up. Atlanta has surely gotten some decent looks at the righty, as he has been playing within their division. He logged 118 innings for the Marlins over the past three years, allowing 5.95 earned runs per nine. His 22% strikeout rate and 10.3% walk rate were both a bit worse than average.

Teams like Baltimore and Atlanta are likely intrigued by his minor league numbers. He tossed 42 2/3 innings in Triple-A last year with a 2.32 ERA. He struck out 28.8% of batters faced and also kept batted balls on the ground at a 55.7% rate. He also held his walk rate to a more reasonable 8.8% rate at that level.

Soriano exhausted his final option season in 2025, which has pushed him to a fringe roster area. He’s now twice been put on waivers but twice been claimed. It wouldn’t be a surprise if he loses his roster spot yet again before the winter is out. For now, he has a spot with Atlanta. He has a bit more than a year of big league service time. That means he can be controlled for five full seasons and is still two years away from qualifying for arbitration.

Wisely, 27 in May, is in a somewhat similar position. He’s an infielder and not a pitcher but he has exhausted his options, giving him a tenuous hold on a roster spot thanks to tepid big league results. The Giants designated him for assignment in September, which led to Atlanta claiming him off waivers.

In 466 big league plate appearances, he has a line of just .214/.265/.319. But over the past three years, he has a .276/.375/.436 line and 113 wRC+ at the Triple-A level. He has also racked up a bunch of stolen bases in the minors and provides defensive versatility. He has experience at all four infield spots and all three outfield slots as well.

Like Soriano, he can be affordably controlled for five more seasons if he latches on somewhere. Given his multi-positional abilities and speed, perhaps he will find interest from a club looking to deepen its bench. If he passes through waivers unclaimed, Atlanta can keep him in a non-roster capacity. He can be in DFA limbo for a week at most. The waiver process takes 48 hours, so Atlanta could take five days to field trade interest, but they could also place him on the wire quicker than that.

Photo courtesy of Jerome Miron, Imagn Images

Orioles Claim Jhonkensy Noel, Designate George Soriano For Assignment

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The Orioles have claimed outfielder Jhonkensy Noel from the Guardians, according to announcements from both clubs. Noel was designated for assignment last month. To open a spot for Noel, the O’s designated right-hander George Soriano for assignment.

Noel, 24, changes organizations for the first time. The Guards signed him as an international amateur back in 2017 and he has been part of that system until today. Over the past two years, he has shown some big power ability but also a poor approach. In 351 big league plate appearances, he has 19 home runs but his 4.8% walk rate and 32.8% strikeout rate are both awful figures. That’s led to a lopsided .193/.242/.401 slash line thus far.

He exhausted his final option season in 2025, which pushed him off Cleveland’s roster. He was designated for assignment December 17th when Cleveland acquired Justin Bruihl from the Blue Jays. DFA limbo is normally capped at one week but there are clearly different rules around the holidays, as “Big Christmas” just spent close to three weeks in that liminal space.

The O’s have grabbed him today, though Noel won’t have a great path to playing time. Baltimore has a fairly crowded group for their outfield corners, as well as the first base and designated hitter spots. Pete Alonso should be the regular at first, with Coby Mayo and Ryan Mountcastle also in the mix there. Those guys could spill over into the DH slot, though the O’s might also want at-bats for their catching tandem of Adley Rutschman and Samuel Basallo. The outfield group includes Colton Cowser, Taylor Ward, Tyler O’Neill, Dylan Beavers, Leody Taveras, Heston Kjerstad and others.

Alonso, Mayo, Mountcastle, Ward and O’Neill are all right-handed power bats. The same is true of Noel, though he has a lesser track record of major league success than everyone in that group. The O’s tend to be very aggressive at claiming players off waivers and then putting them back on the wire later, hoping to keep them as non-roster depth. It’s possible that is the plan here, as Noel currently faces a steep path to a big league role.

His numbers in the minors are more encouraging than his major league work. Over the past two years, he has stepped to the plate 536 times at the Triple-A level with 30 home runs. His 7.5% walk rate and 23.7% strikeout rate were still not amazing but much better than his big league work. His .285/.349/.538 line in that sample translates to a 130 wRC+.

Being out of options will make it challenging for him to carve out a lengthy amount of big league playing time. But if he gets a chance and runs with it, he can be affordably controlled for years to come. His service time clock is at one year and 29 days, meaning he is still five years from free agency and two years from qualifying for arbitration.

Soriano, 27 in March, has never pitched for Baltimore. He spent his entire career with the Marlins until the Orioles grabbed him off waivers in early November. Over the past three years, he tossed 118 innings for Miami, allowing 5.95 earned runs per nine. He struck out 22% of batters faced and gave out walks at a 10.3% clip.

Like Noel, Soriano exhausted his final option season in 2025 and got pushed to the waiver wire. As mentioned, the O’s like to make claims and then try to pass guys through waivers later to keep them as non-roster depth. Soriano flashed some intriguing potential in Triple-A last year, tossing 42 2/3 innings with a 2.32 ERA, 28.8% strikeout rate, 8.8% walk rate and 55.7% ground ball rate.

His service time clock is at 1.095, so he also has years of potential cheap control. That could entice another club to acquire him but the O’s would surely be happy if they can get him through waivers and hang onto him in a non-roster capacity.

Photo courtesy of Ken Blaze, Imagn Images

Orioles Claim George Soriano, Designate Daniel Johnson For Assignment

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The Orioles announced that they have claimed right-hander George Soriano off waivers from the Marlins. Outfielder Daniel Johnson has been designated for assignment as the corresponding move.

There wasn’t any previous indication that Soriano had been designated for assignment or put on waivers, but roster maintenance is common at this time of year. The 60-day injured list goes away five days after the end of the World Series, which can often lead to roster crunches. RosterResource projects the Marlins to have 46 players on their 40-man roster. Soriano clears up one spot but further moves will be necessary this week.

Soriano, 27 in March, joins a new organization for the first time in his career. The Marlins signed him as an amateur out of the Dominican Republic way back in 2015. He climbed his way up the minor league ladder, initially as a starter but with more time as a reliever as he got to the higher levels. He was added to the 40-man roster in November 2022 to keep him out of the Rule 5 draft.

He has spent the past three years as an up-and-down arm, getting shuttled between Miami and Triple-A Jacksonville. He hasn’t had a ton of major league success so far. In 118 innings, he has allowed 5.95 earned runs per nine. His 22% strikeout rate is close to average but his 10.3% walk rate is high and his 38.7% ground ball rate is low. He did show some potential in Triple-A this year. He logged 42 2/3 innings for the Jumbo Shrimp with a 2.32 ERA, 28.8% strikeout rate, 8.8% walk rate and 55.7% ground ball rate.

Soriano has exhausted his option years and is therefore out of options going forward. That presumably led the Marlins to nudge him off the roster. The Orioles have a lot of work to do on the bullpen. They traded away a number of relievers at last year’s deadline and then lost Félix Bautista to a shoulder surgery. Soriano could compete for a bullpen job in the spring, though it’s also possible they look to pass him through waivers at some point in the offseason.

Some things last a long time but not Johnson’s most recent stint on Baltimore’s roster. The 30-year-old was claimed off waivers from the Giants in August. He has 152 big league plate appearances over four separate seasons, with a dismal .196/.243/.322 slash line. In the minors, he has generally performed better at the plate, with some speed to boot. Dating back to the start of 2023, he has a .266/.331/.464 line and 105 wRC+ with 54 stolen bases.

He’s a solid speed-and-defense depth outfielder but he exhausted his final option season in 2025. He was going to have a hard time holding onto a roster spot next year, so the O’s have bumped him off today in order to grab Soriano. Johnson has a previous career outright, so he will have the right to elect free agency if he is passed through waivers unclaimed.

Photo courtesy of Jerome Miron, Imagn Images

Marlins Select Patrick Monteverde’s Contract

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The Marlins announced that they have selected the contract of left-hander Patrick Monteverde from Triple-A Jacksonville.  Right-hander George Soriano was optioned to Triple-A in the corresponding move.

Miami used four different relievers in Friday’s 7-2 loss to Philadelphia, and Soriano ate 1 2/3 of those innings.  Today’s transaction gets a fresh arm into the Marlins’ pen, and also opens the door for Monteverde to make his Major League debut whenever the southpaw makes his first in-game appearance.

The 27-year-old Monteverde was an eighth-round pick for the Marlins in the 2021 draft, and the Texas Tech product posted some decent numbers in the minors before seemingly hitting a wall at the Triple-A level.  Monteverde has a 6.55 ERA over 88 innings in Jacksonville, with a decrease in strikeouts and an increase in home runs accounting for these struggles over parts of three seasons at the top minor league level.  Monteverde has mostly worked as a starter in the minors, but this season has seen him work just as a multi-inning reliever across his three Triple-A appearances, though a 4.82 ERA in 9 1/3 innings this year doesn’t yet hint at any great breakthrough.

It was at least enough to get Monteverde his first look in the Show, and he’ll be thrown right into the deep end if he is utilized against the Phillies’ many powerful left-handed bats this weekend.  Monteverde might indeed just be a depth arm for the short term, but on a rebuilding team like the Marlins, he has plenty of opportunity to stick around or get a future call-up if he pitches well.  Anthony Veneziano is the only other left-hander in Miami’s bullpen, so Monteverde could bring some extra southpaw depth if he remains on the active roster.

Marlins Select Shaun Anderson

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The Marlins announced that they have selected right-hander Shaun Anderson to their roster. Right-hander George Soriano has been optioned to Triple-A Jacksonville in a corresponding move. The club already had a 40-man vacancy.

The Marlins got steamrolled by Shohei Ohtani and the Dodgers yesterday, eventually losing 20-4. Six guys took the mound to get through the game, including two position players. They had also used four pitchers on Wednesday and six on Tuesday, leaving the staff fairly taxed.

Anderson, 29, signed a minor league deal with the Rangers in April. He had a brief stint on their roster in May and was flipped to the Marlins for cash after being designated for assignment. He spent the next few weeks being frequently shuttled back and forth between the Marlins and the Jumbo Shrimp, though he was outrighted off the 40-man in August.

Between the Marlins and Rangers, he has tossed 14 major league innings this year but allowed 15 earned runs in that time for an unsightly 9.64 ERA. Naturally, his minor league numbers have been better. He’s logged 63 Triple-A innings between the two organizations with a flat 3.00 ERA, 23.4% strikeout rate and 5.9% walk rate.

The Fish are well out of contention but Anderson will give them a fresh arm as they play out the string on the season. He has been optioned four times already this season, meaning he can be optioned down once more before the year is out, if the Marlins need to shake up their pitching staff again in the coming days. He’ll be out of options next year.

Marlins Announce 11 Roster Moves

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The Marlins announced a whopping 11 roster moves in advance of today’s game with the Phillies.  Right-handers Max Meyer and Calvin Faucher were each placed on the 15-day injured list, with Meyer’s placement due to right shoulder bursitis retroactive to September 4, and Faucher’s placement due to right shoulder impingement syndrome retroactive to September 5.  Derek Hill was also placed on the 10-day IL with a retroactive September 5 date, as the outfielder is dealing with a left shoulder impingement.  Left-hander Andrew Nardi’s season is officially over after a move to the 60-day injured list, while left-hander Austin Kitchen was designed for assignment and right-hander Anthony Maldonado was optioned to Triple-A Jacksonville.

With the departures completed, here is the list of players joining Miami’s active roster.  Righty Anthony Bender was reinstated from the 15-day IL, and right-handers George Soriano and Lake Bachar were called up from Triple-A.  Also up from Jacksonville are left-hander Jonathan Bermudez and utilityman Javier Sanoja, whose contracts selected to the big league roster.  Daniel Alvarez-Montes of El Extra Base reported (via X) earlier today that Sanoja was being promoted for his Major League debut, while Isaac Azout of Fish On First initially reported (links to X) that Meyer was headed to the IL and that Bermudez and Bachar were being promoted.

Meyer had been scheduled to start Sunday, but he’ll now hit the IL in the latest of a seemingly unending parade of injuries to Miami starters.  While more will be known about Meyer’s situation later today, it stands to reason that the Marlins could shut down the 25-year-old both due to this injury concern, and the club’s overall plan to limit Meyer’s workload this season.  Between 57 innings in the majors and 58 innings in the minors, Meyer had done a pretty good job of rebuilding his arm strength after missing all of 2023 due to a Tommy John surgery.

In terms of on-field results, Meyer has a 5.68 ERA over his 57 frames in the Show.  His 50% grounder rate is very strong and his 7.7% walk rate is around league average, but has allowed a ton of hard contact and struck out only 18.5% of opposing batters.  Such struggles aren’t unexpected for a player in his first extended taste of MLB action, as Meyer’s only big league experience prior this season was a two-game cup of coffee in 2022 prior to his TJ procedure.

In addition to Meyer, it is worth speculating if Faucher or Hill might also be shut down for the remainder of 2024, given the late date on the calendar.  The Marlins turned in this direction with Nardi, who only went to the 15-day IL a couple of weeks ago, and manager Skip Schumaker seemed optimistic at the time of the 15-day placement about the chances of Nardi returning before the end of September.  Instead, Nardi’s season is done after posting a 5.07 ERA over 49 2/3 innings, though a set of impressive Statcast metrics and a 2.79 SIERA indicates that Nardi was among the more unlucky pitchers in the league.

Faucher has been one of the few bright spots for Miami this season, as the righty has overcome a .345 BABIP and a lot of walks to post a 3.19 ERA and 26.8% strikeout rate in 53 2/3 relief innings.  The Marlins opted against trading Faucher amidst their many moves at the trade deadline, and instead installed him at closer after Tanner Scott was dealt to the Padres.

Soriano’s one save makes him the only player on Miami’s active roster with any saves this season, so the Marlins could turn to a committee to handle the ninth inning for the rest of the season.  Bender (in only his third MLB season) has the most experience of anyone in Miami’s bullpen and might be the favorite to close games now that he has recovered from the shoulder impingement that has sidelined him for the last four weeks.  Bender has a 49.2% grounder rate and above-average strikeout and walk rates, and is another Marlins pitcher whose real ERA (4.00) isn’t quite as reflective of how well he has pitched in 2024.

Bermudez returns to the big leagues after he was designated for assignment and then outrighted just within the last week.  He’ll take over the 40-man roster spot left open by Kitchen, who is also heading to the DFA wire for the second time this season.  The southpaw was designated by the Rockies in June and then quickly snapped up by Miami on a waiver claim.

Kitchen made his Major League debut on July 30 and thus far has only a 14.14 ERA to show for his seven innings and four games as a big leaguer.  Six of his 11 earned runs allowed came just yesterday in Miami’s 16-2 loss to the Phillies, as Kitchen had to make a short-notice start when Edward Cabrera was a late scratch due to migraine-like symptoms.  Kitchen is a grounder specialist with good control, and while he has pitched pretty well in the minors, his lack of strikeouts could put a ceiling on his effectiveness against MLB hitters.

Hill has hit .238/.262/.427 over 151 plate appearances with the Marlins, Giants, and Rangers this season, with the 151 PA representing a new career high over Hill’s five seasons in the Show.  Beginning the year on minors deal with Texas, he then went to the Giants for a brief stint after one waiver claim, and Miami again claimed him off waivers just over a month ago.  The Marlins had plenty of holes to fill in the outfield after their trade deadline selloff, and Hill took advantage with some regular work in center field and a few appearances in left.

Sanoja was an international signing for the Marlins in July 2019, and over four minor league seasons has emerged as an extreme contact hitter, with only 136 strikeouts in 1783 PA in Miami’s farm system.  A lack of power has limited what Sanoja has done with that contact, but between his speed and his knack for getting the bat on the ball, he has hit .291/.354/.431 over 492 Triple-A PA in 2024.  Sanoja has stolen 83 bases in 126 attempts in the minors, so there is some extra baserunning potential there if Sanoja can become more efficient with his steals rate.  Defensively, Sanoja is considered to fit best as a second baseman, but he is a decent enough fielder that he can play all over the diamond, so this versatility gives him more of a chance to stick in the Show.

The Marlins figure to use Sanoja at multiple positions during his time on the roster, though the team probably wishes he could pitch, given their larger needs on the mound.  Some reinforcements might be coming before the season is over, as Ryan Weathers and Braxton Garrett have each started minor league rehab assignments.  Neither hurler has pitched since June, as Weathers has been dealing with a finger sprain and Garrett with a flexor strain in his left forearm.

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