Mariners Acquire Josh Simpson
The Mariners have acquired left-hander Josh Simpson from the Marlins, both teams announced. Miami is receiving cash in the deal. Simpson was designated for assignment last week. Right-hander Logan Evans was placed on the 60-day IL in a corresponding move.
Evans underwent UCL surgery in late January and will miss the entire 2026 season, so his 60-day IL placement is no surprise. With Simpson taking Evans’ spot, Seattle’s 40-man roster remains full.
Simpson missed the majority of the 2024 campaign with an elbow injury. He put together three months of a 3.41 ERA at Triple-A this past year, earning his first big-league callup. Simpson was tagged for four earned runs across two innings in his MLB debut against the Braves, but settled in from there. He delivered eight straight scoreless appearances out of the Miami bullpen after the rough first outing. The lefty struggled over his next 12 appearances, ceding 17 earned runs. He capped off September with a seven-run debacle, once again while facing Atlanta.
The final result in Simpson’s first taste of the majors was a 7.34 ERA, though there were positive indicators. The reliever posted an xFIP and SIERA below 4.50. He punched out big-league bats at a near-24% clip. Simpson coaxed ground balls at a well above average 53.9% rate.
Photo courtesy of Bill Streicher, Imagn Images
Marlins Designate Josh Simpson For Assignment
The Marlins announced they’ve designated left-hander Josh Simpson for assignment. That opens a 40-man roster spot for fellow southpaw John King, who has officially signed his one-year deal.
Simpson made his MLB debut last June. He pitched in 31 games but was rocked for a 7.34 ERA across 30 2/3 innings. The 6’2″ southpaw got ground-balls at a 54% clip with a solid 23.8% strikeout rate but struggled with control. Simpson walked almost 15% of batters faced and gave up nearly 1.5 home runs per nine innings. Poor batted ball luck didn’t help matters, but the command has been an issue for most of Simpson’s career. He has walked 11.6% of opponents in the minor leagues.
A Columbia product who signed for $25K as a 32nd-round pick in 2019, Simpson was never a marquee prospect. He pitched well enough through Double-A that Miami added him to the 40-man roster to keep him out of the Rule 5 draft in 2022. He was called up the following September but didn’t get into a game during his five days on the active roster. Simpson was optioned back to Triple-A, then missed the majority of ’24 because of a nerve injury in his forearm that required surgery. The Fish dropped him from the 40-man roster at the end of that season.
To Simpson’s credit, he pitched well enough in Triple-A last year to earn his way back up and avoid a “phantom ballplayer” career arc. He worked to a 3.41 ERA across 34 1/3 innings at Triple-A Jacksonville, albeit with lesser strikeout and ground-ball marks than he had in the majors. The Marlins will likely place him back on waivers within the next five days. Simpson would be able to decline an outright assignment and elect free agency if he goes unclaimed.
Marlins Select Josh Simpson, DFA Robinson Piña
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.
Sixto Sanchez Elects Free Agency
9:21PM: Sanchez has chosen to become a free agent, Azout reports (X link).
5:26PM: The Marlins have taken Sixto Sánchez off the roster. Miami announced that the former top pitching prospect went unclaimed on waivers and was sent outright to Triple-A Jacksonville. Sánchez has the requisite service time to become a minor league free agent, though the Fish didn’t announce that he has already done so. Miami also outrighted left-hander Josh Simpson and selected the contract of righty Luarbert Arias.
Sánchez was the centerpiece of the J.T. Realmuto trade return. The 6’0″ righty was regarded as perhaps the best pitching prospect in MLB at the time. Sánchez never came close to meeting those lofty expectations. Shoulder injuries have largely derailed his career, as Sánchez has lost huge chunks of time to the IL over the past half-decade. He didn’t throw a single MLB pitch between 2021-23. Sánchez returned to log 35 2/3 innings in a swing role this season, but he surrendered more than six earned runs per nine. Shoulder inflammation ended his season in early June.
Simpson, 27, has yet to make his MLB debut. He had been on the 40-man roster since the end of the 2022 season. Simpson lost most of this season to an ulnar nerve injury that required surgery. He allowed 14 runs (11 earned) across 16 innings between three minor league levels. He’s also likely headed to minor league free agency.
Arias, 23, would have joined them on the open market if the Fish didn’t put him on the 40-man roster. The Venezuelan-born righty had a nice year in a late-inning role for Jacksonville. Arias posted a 3.04 earned run average through 68 innings. He fanned upwards of a quarter of opponents against a 9.3% walk rate. He’s a pure reliever who can compete for a spot in a wide open bullpen as he tries to earn his first big league call.
Isaac Azout of Fish on First first reported that Miami outrighted Sánchez off the roster.
Marlins Claim Anthony Veneziano, Designate Three Players For Assignment
The Marlins announced a huge batch of transactions today, including the previously reported claim of right-hander Lake Bachar. They also claimed left-hander Anthony Veneziano off waivers from the Royals. They also reinstated left-hander Josh Simpson from the 60-day injured list and optioned him to Triple-A Jacksonville. To open 40-man roster spots for those three, they designated catcher Alí Sánchez, left-hander Kent Emanuel and right-hander Emmanuel Ramírez for assignment. Sánchez and Ramírez were on the active roster, so those two spots will be taken by infielder Xavier Edwards, who has been reinstated from the 10-day IL, and right-hander Anthony Maldonado, who has been recalled from Triple-A Jacksonville.
Veneziano was just designated for assignment on September 1, which happened to be his 27th birthday. He has a minimal big league track record, having tossed 2 1/3 innings with the Royals last year and another two innings this year.
The Marlins are likely interested in his pre-2024 track record, as it hasn’t been the lefty’s best season. He has tossed 90 innings at the Triple-A level this year with a 4.80 earned run average, 19.3% strikeout rate and 10.7% walk rate. But in 2023, he had a 3.55 ERA in his 132 minor league innings, striking out 23% of batters faced while limiting walks to an 8.7% clip.
Baseball America ranked him the #5 prospect in the Royals’ system coming into 2024. The results haven’t been as impressive this year but it’s understandable that the Marlins would still have hope of getting him back on track. He will still have two option years remaining after the current campaign, so they can get a close-up look at him in the minors and see if there’s a path towards better results in the long term.
Sánchez, 27, was added to the club’s roster in June and got into 31 games for the Fish. Unfortunately, he hit just .167/.211/.190 in his 96 plate appearances. He has generally performed well at the Triple-A level but without bringing it up to the majors. He has hit .276/.348/.409 at Triple-A from 2021 to the present, leading to a 97 wRC+ in a sample of just under 1,000 plate appearances. But he has a career line of .175/.221/.216 in the majors and is out of options.
Emanuel, 32, has been on and off the Marlins’ roster all year. He signed a minor league deal with the club in the winter and this is now the fifth time he’s been designated for assignment. Each time has seen him clear waivers, get outrighted to Triple-A Jacksonville and later have his contract selected again. Given that pattern, it wouldn’t be a shock to see it all play out once more. Around those transactions, he has a 6.62 ERA in 17 2/3 major league innings and a 6.15 ERA in 45 1/3 Triple-A innings.
Ramírez, 30, was first selected to the club’s roster back in April and has appeared in 15 big league games, the first of his career. He has a 6.97 ERA in those, though his peripherals are closer to average. He has a 22.8% strikeout rate, 8.7% walk rate and 40% ground ball rate on the year. His 54% strand rate is on the unlucky side, which is why his 4.63 FIP and 3.85 SIERA are far apart from his ERA. He also has a 3.76 ERA in 40 2/3 Triple-A innings this year.
All three of Sánchez, Emanuel and Ramírez will have to be placed on waivers in the coming days since the trade deadline has passed. Since it’s now September, they won’t be postseason eligible with any club that puts in a claim.
Josh Simpson To Undergo Surgery For Ulnar Nerve Neuritis
Marlins left-hander Josh Simpson will undergo surgery for ulnar nerve neuritis, per Christina De Nicola of MLB.com. He is expected to miss about three months.
Simpson, 26, began this year on the 15-day injured list with left elbow ulnar neuritis. He was transferred to the 60-day IL this past weekend when the club selected the contract of right-hander Kyle Tyler. That transfer made Simpson ineligible to return from the injured list until late May but he’ll now be out beyond that point anyway, with the news of this surgery.
A 32nd-round pick of the Fish in the 2019 draft, the lefty was added to the club’s 40-man roster in November of 2022 to keep him out of the Rule 5 draft. He had just finished a strong season, tossing 68 innings between Double-A and Triple with a 3.97 earned run average. He walked 12.4% of batters faced but also struck out opponents at a hefty 40.7% rate.
Last year, he kept getting the punchies but the control got a bit worse. In 38 2/3 minor league innings, he had a 4.42 ERA, 37.5% strikeout rate and 15.3% walk rate. He was recalled to the big league club a couple of times but was not put into a game and is therefore still looking to make his major league debut.
That debut will have to wait at least a few more months as he rehabs from this surgery. Since he’s on the big league IL, he’ll collect major league pay and service time while he’s working his way back. The Marlins have Tanner Scott and Andrew Nardi as the two healthy lefty relievers on their roster. Some have speculated that A.J. Puk could be moved back to the bullpen since his rotation work has not been good so far this year, but he’s on the IL now anyway due to fatigue in his throwing shoulder.
Marlins Place A.J. Puk On 15-Day Injured List
The Marlins have announced a series of roster moves in advance of today’s double-header with the Cubs, including the news that left-hander A.J. Puk has been placed on the 15-day injured list due to fatigue in his throwing shoulder. As was reported yesterday, Roddery Munoz was indeed called up from Triple-A, and he’ll officially act as the 27th man for the double-header. Right-hander Kyle Tyler will also join the active roster after his contract was selected from Triple-A, and the Marlins moved southpaw Josh Simpson to the 60-day IL to create a 40-man roster opening for Tyler.
Puk just pitched yesterday, and was tagged for seven earned runs over three innings of work in an 8-3 Miami loss to Chicago. It was the roughest yet of four lackluster starts for Puk, who now has a 9.22 ERA over 13 2/3 innings of work, with an alarming 17 walks over that brief amount of time on the mound. Manager Skip Schumaker told reporters (including Fish On First’s Isaac Azout) yesterday that the club hasn’t yet considered moving Puk back to the bullpen, though today’s injury news could change the equation considerably.
First and foremost, Puk’s lengthy injury history adds an extra layer of concern to any new health issues, even something as relatively minor as shoulder fatigue. Puk missed all of the 2018 season and a chunk of 2019 recovering from Tommy John surgery, and then missed the entire 2020 season due to a lingering shoulder problem that eventually required surgery. Since it wasn’t clear if Puk’s arm would hold up under a starter’s workload, the Athletics used him as a reliever, and the result was a breakout year in 2022. Oakland traded Puk to the Marlins in the 2022-23 offseason for JJ Bleday, and Puk continued the success last season with more strong work out of Miami’s relief corps.
With Puk now established as a big leaguer, the Marlins decided to see what he could still offer as a starter, and stretched him out this spring with an eye towards putting him into the rotation. Clearly the experiment hasn’t worked out to date, and once Puk is back from the IL, he could find himself in the relief corps again if Miami has stabilized the rest of its rotation. Between Sandy Alcantara and Eury Perez undergoing Tommy John surgery and season-opening IL stints for Edward Cabrera and Braxton Garrett, the Fish didn’t really have much choice but to keep rolling Puk out there, though Cabrera has now since returned.
Max Meyer pitched well over three starts but was then optioned to Triple-A despite those strong results, as the Marlins are looking to limit his innings in the wake of a Tommy John surgery. Munoz is making his MLB debut today with a start against the Cubs, and Puk’s injury could mean that Munoz gets a longer look against big league competition. Tyler could also technically be a starting candidate, though the Marlins used him as a reliever in both of his Triple-A appearances this season.
Tyler has started 60 of his 108 career games in the minors, including starts in 26 of his 27 appearances with the Mariners’ Double-A affiliate in 2023. With only a 5.60 ERA to show for those 135 innings, it represented a setback for Tyler, who banked 16 1/3 innings of MLB experience with the Angels and Padres in 2021-22. He had previously pitched well in Double-A ball before running into problems in Triple-A, with a 5.68 ERA over 44 1/3 frames at the top minor league level. The Marlins signed Tyler to a minor league deal during the offseason, and he’ll give the team some extra depth in the pen at least through today’s twin bill.
Simpson started the year on the 15-day IL due to elbow ulnar neuritis, and his move to the 60-day IL means that he won’t be an option for the big league roster until late May. He has banked only one minor league appearance this season back on April 6, and between the lack of subsequent action and now this move to the 60-day IL, it remains to be seen when Simpson might be back in action. The 26-year-old has yet to make his Major League debut, but has been a member of Miami’s organization since he was drafted in the 32nd round in 2019.
Marlins Announce Several Roster Moves
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 Designate Daniel Castano For Assignment
The Marlins have designated left-hander Daniel Castano for assignment, per Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald. Left-hander Josh Simpson has been recalled to take his place on the roster and will be making his major league debut as soon as he gets into a game.
Castano, 28, was outrighted off Miami’s roster in the offseason but selected back onto it in April. He was outrighted again in June and could have elected free agency but decided to stay in the organization. He got added back to the roster on the weekend but has now been bumped off yet again.
Around those transactions, Castano has made just two appearances in the majors this year, allowing seven earned runs in three innings. He’s spent most of his time in Triple-A, tossing 57 2/3 innings at that level with a 4.06 earned run average, 22.4% strikeout rate, 8.9% walk rate and 45.4% ground ball rate.
The Marlins will place Castano back on waivers in the coming days and it’s possible the same sequence of events plays out as earlier in the year, with Castano clearing and then accepting an outright assignment, though that will be determined in due time.
As for Simpson, now 26, he was a 32nd round selection of the Marlins in the 2019 draft. Last year, he split his time between Double-A and Triple-A with a combined 3.97 ERA in 68 innings, walking 12.4% of batters but with a massive 40.7% strikeout rate. That got him added to the 40-man roster in November, to prevent him from being available in the Rule 5 draft.
Here in 2023, he’s mostly been in Triple-A, carrying over a similar profile. He has struck out 37.9% of batters faced in his 32 innings for Jacksonville but also given out walks at a 15.2% rate, leading to an ERA of 4.50 at that level this year. Despite the obvious control issues, the Marlins will bump him up to the majors to see how his stuff plays against big league hitters.
Marlins Designate Elieser Hernandez, Four Others For Assignment
The Marlins have announced a number of designations on Rule 5 protection day. Right-handers Elieser Hernandez, Nick Neidert, Jeff Brigham, José Devers and Lewin Diaz for assignment (h/t to Joe Frisaro). In corresponding moves, Miami added George Soriano, Josh Simpson and Eli Villalobos onto the roster.
Brigham threw 24 innings of 3.38 ERA ball out of the Marlins’ bullpen this year, posting solid strikeout (27.7%) and walk (9.9%) rates. Those are decent enough results that should leave Brigham with options for 2023, but the 30-year-old was arbitration eligible and a likely non-tender candidate, so the Marlins opted to cut him loose in favor of a freed up 40-man spot. Neidert and Hernandez are the others pitchers Miami cut loose. Neidert only appeared in one game for the Marlins this year, but had a 1.96 ERA at Triple-A in 46 innings. Hernandez struggled mightily in the big leagues, winding up with a 6.35 ERA across 62 1/3 innings.
Miami also parted ways with hitters Devers and Diaz. Devers appeared in 21 games as a middle infielder, slashing .244/.304/.317 without a home run. Diaz has struggled in parts of three seasons in the big leagues for Miami. The first baseman hit just .169/.224/.288 with five home runs in 174 plate appearances this year. He did grade out well defensively, but his lifetime .181/.227/.340 line was never going to be enough from a bat-first position.
The Marlins used the open spots to add a trio of intriguing arms to their 40-man roster. Villalobos blew away Triple-A hitters in 17 1/3 innings this year, striking out 26 and posting a 1.04 ERA. Simpson did the same, striking out 23 batters in 12 1/3 innings after being called up from Double-A. Soriano didn’t post any big strikeout numbers, but the 2.49 ERA he wound up with over 47 Triple-A innings was certainly enough promise to earn him a spot on the 40-man. All three are now a chance to feature in the Marlins’ bullpen in 2023.