Needless to say, Eric Wagaman was being miscast as an everyday player earlier this season—there was a stretch during the first half where he started 23 consecutive Miami Marlins games! That should never happen again.
Wagaman was at his lowest point in late July. Having gone nearly a month without driving in a run, the Marlins called up Troy Johnston to serve as his platoon partner. While that has reduced Wags’ playing time, facing left-handed pitching in the vast majority of his plate appearances has contributed to a major spike in his production.
Since Johnston’s debut, Wagaman is slashing .280/.350/.516 in 103 plate appearances. He tied a season-high with three hits in Thursday’s win against the Washington Nationals. His 137 wRC+ during that span ranks second on the club (min. 50 PA) behind only Jakob Marsee.
For the season overall, Wagaman still nets out as a sub-replacement-level player (-0.5 fWAR). He still struggles with elevated fastballs, and he’s below average as both a fielder and baserunner.
However, this is a Marlins offense that has been lousy against lefties. Another year of maturation from Agustín Ramírez and the eventual arrival of Kemp Alderman should help. But what was once an inevitability—that Wagaman would get cut this offseason—now seems like a longshot. As long as he doesn’t stumble into another slump over these final two-plus weeks, I envision him entering spring training 2026 with a clear path to crack his second straight Opening Day roster.
Down on the farm, Triple-A Jacksonville won, 4-3. Rehabbing big leaguers Dane Myers, Connor Norby and Griffin Conine were in the Jumbo Shrimp starting lineup. They’ll each need at least one more rehab game before being considered for reinstatement from the injured list. Trade deadline acquisition Matthew Etzel continues to play well, slashing .307/.379/.436 in 28 games as a member of the Marlins organization. Double-A Pensacola lost, 3-2. Will Schomberg (6.0 IP, 7 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 7 K, 77 pitches/54 strikes) finished his season on a positive note. High-A Beloit lost, 5-3. Peyton Fosher, who had been brilliant since being drafted by the Marlins earlier this summer, chose an inconvenient time for his worst pro outing (though shaky outfield defense behind him was also a factor). The Sky Carp will face the Cedar Rapids Kernels one more time tonight, with the victor advancing to the Midwest League Championship Series.
More Marlins news and content below:
🔷 Marlins top prospect Thomas White tells Josh Norris of Baseball America that he has struggled all season to get the desired amount of extension in his delivery. In White’s Triple-A debut, he averaged 6.0 feet of extension, which would rank in the 14th percentile among MLB pitchers. He plans to make mechanical adjustments this winter to lengthen his stride and release the ball closer to home plate, giving opposing hitters even less time to react.
🔷 The Marlins expect to rely on internal options at third base in 2026, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reports. Connor Norby and Graham Pauley are the main contenders to start at the position, with Maximo Acosta “potentially also getting a look.” This season, Norby and Pauley have performed approximately the same as hitters, but the latter has had the clear edge defensively. Each of the three will have minor league options remaining in case they don’t crack the club’s Opening Day roster.
🔷 Recent Marlins Legends Hall of Fame inductee Luis Castillo is celebrating his 50th birthday.
🔷 The Prediction Time leaderboard has been updated. Only five series left! Become a SuperSub and we’ll keep track of your predictions all season long.
🔷 Elsewhere around baseball, the New York Mets lost their sixth game in a row. Their lead over the Cincinnati Reds and San Francisco Giants for the final National League wild-card spot is down to 1.5 games. Jesús Luzardo had one of the most unusual starts you’ll ever see, surrendering four runs in the first inning, then following it up with seven perfect frames. Aaron Judge tied Joe DiMaggio for fourth place on the all-time New York Yankees home run list. Kevin Gausman threw a shutout against the Houston Astros, only the 11th complete-game shutout by a pitcher during this MLB season.
🔷 Today’s MLB game: the penultimate Marlins home series of the season gets underway against the Detroit Tigers (probable starters RHP Sandy Alcantara and LHP Tarik Skubal). Skubal has allowed only one earned run over his last four starts combined. The Tigers are aggressive hunting for the platoon advantage, which has led them to pinch-hit more often than any other MLB team this season. The Marlins have a 37.9% chance to win, per FanGraphs. First pitch at 7:10 p.m. ET.
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