Injuries happen, especially to pitchers. It would be frustrating if recurring elbow problems or another physical setback interrupted Sandy Alcantara‘s comeback from Tommy John surgery or clearly diminished the quality of his stuff. Frustrating, but understandable.
In Alcantara’s case, he has seemingly dealt with zero health issues, making every scheduled start and only leaving the mound when the game situation dictated he should. That’s what makes his historically poor results so sad. From a distance, he resembles the ace that Marlins fans once adored—the way opposing hitters are pummeling him tells a different story. Alcantara starts used to be special attractions worth paying for; more often than not this season, they’ve been momentum-killers.
A bunch of Marlins players have exceeded expectations in 2025 en route to the club being 10 games ahead of their 2024 pace. The starting rotation has turned a corner over the last month or so…with the exception of Alcantara, who has shown glimpses of being a reliable starter, but nothing more than that. Miami’s longtime rotation leader is now holding them back. We have run out of excuses to make on his behalf, especially when his pupil and fellow TJ survivor, Eury Pérez, has already authored two truly dominant outings in a smaller sample.
Trading Alcantara at this upcoming July 31 deadline would be selling low and ending his Marlins tenure on a bitter note. His luck should turn around with enough second-half reps, but how can we be sure when the player himself is lacking confidence? It’s an extremely uncomfortable situation for all involved.
Down on the farm, Double-A Pensacola won, 16-9. The Blue Wahoos piled on eight of those runs in the top of the ninth inning. Three extra-base hits and four runs batted in for Nathan Martorella (both of those being season-highs for him). High-A Beloit won, 5-1. Nice work by Will Schomberg (5.0 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 5 K, 72 pitches/47 strikes). Gage Miller had a crucial bases-clearing double. Low-A Jupiter lost, 6-4. FCL Marlins lost, 5-2. Nearly a full year removed from being drafted, Aiden May (1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K) made his long-awaited professional debut. Miami’s Competitive Balance Round B pick, May underwent right elbow arthroscopic surgery in March. If all goes smoothly, the 22-year-old should be joining Jupiter’s rotation at the end of the month following the conclusion of the complex league season. Fabian Lopez, who had just three hits over his previous 10 games combined, went 4-for-4 to finish a home run shy of the cycle.
More Marlins news and content below:
🔷 The Marlins claimed right-handed Tyler Zuber off waivers from the New York Mets. Zuber made 54 relief appearances with the 2020-21 Kansas City Royals, but he has accrued only 5 ⅓ innings pitched in The Show since then. In 28 innings with the Syracuse Mets this season, he posted a 6.11 ERA, 4.70 FIP and .278 BAA. He’s been using a four-seam fastball/sweeper/changeup pitch mix. The 30-year-old Arkansas native has been optioned to Jacksonville. In a corresponding 40-man roster move, Nick Nastrini was designated for assignment. Solid chance that Nastrini clears waivers and remains with the organization, in my opinion.
🔷 Baseball insider Francys Romero hears that the Chicago Cubs and New York Mets are pursuing an Edward Cabrera trade.
🔷 I made the case that Jakob Marsee is ready to step into Jesús Sánchez’s role as the Marlins’ primary right fielder.
🔷 Isaac Azout checked in with each of the 2020 Marlins draft class, five years later.
🔷 Projections by Dan Szymborski of FanGraphs remain bullish on Alcantara, and Szymborski cites the lack of solid starting pitching alternatives who are believed to be available on the trade market.
🔷 Kevin Defrank is one of the prospects “making noise” with his performance in the Dominican Summer League, per Josh Norris of Baseball America. “The Marlins have a host of arms lurking on their pair of DSL teams, and Defrank might be at the top of the food chain. The righthander was one of the most celebrated arms in the most recent international signing class, praise which came in part because of a fastball that can already touch triple-digits. He backs his outstanding heater with a hard slider and a changeup that has flashed solid potential as well.”
🔷 Elsewhere around baseball, the Baltimore Orioles traded Bryan Baker to the Tampa Bay Rays for a Competitive Balance Round B draft pick (the 37th overall pick). My mind went immediately to Anthony Bender, who is the same age as Baker and has had roughly the same amount of MLB experience and production. Bender is performing better in 2025, but he’s also slightly more expensive and a year closer to free agency.
🔷 Also, the New York Yankees released infielder DJ LeMahieu. A 15-year MLB veteran, LeMahieu is owed nearly $22 million through the end of next season. The Boston Red Sox have won six in a row and the Los Angeles Dodgers have lost six in a row. Zach McKinstry (Detroit Tigers), Trevor Megill (Milwaukee Brewers), Isaac Paredes (Houston Astros) and Joe Ryan (Minnesota Twins) have been added to the All-Star Game rosters, replacing players at their respective positions who are unavailable to participate.
🔷 Today’s MLB game: it’s the series finale between the Marlins and Cincinnati Reds (probable starters RHP Cal Quantrill and LHP Nick Lodolo). Quantrill last faced the Reds at Great American Ball Park almost exactly one year ago (7/9/24) and had one of the shortest starts of his MLB career (2.0 IP, 4 H, 5 ER, 1 BB, 4 K). The Marlins have a 39.4% chance to win, per FanGraphs. First pitch at 5:10 p.m. ET.
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