Today’s news roundup also includes a new interview with Marlins insider Craig Mish.
The Xavier Edwards shortstop experiment has come to an end after 108 major league starts. MLB.com’s Christina De Nicola was first to report the Miami Marlins’ plan to use him at second base moving forward. Otto Lopez will stick at SS where he has been playing with Edwards sidelined by a left mid back strain. Sources have confirmed the position switch to Fish On First. Craig Mish of FanDuel Sports Network Florida adds that Javier Sanoja will be Lopez’s backup, so Edwards will solely focus on 2B.
It was a weird idea from the beginning. Edwards barely played any shortstop in 2023, his first year in the Marlins organization—he got far more reps at second base, third base and even center field with Triple-A Jacksonville. He struggled at several aspects of SS defense, particularly arm strength and accuracy.
However, a new front office saw a path to him overcoming his limitations. After free agent signing Tim Anderson flopped during the first half of 2024, Edwards became Miami’s full-time shortstop. He shattered even the most optimistic projections offensively (.328/.397/.423, 128 wRC+, 31 SB in 70 G). When accounting for his below-average glove, he contributed 2.2 fWAR.
Edwards was hopeful that a customized offseason throwing program would yield better results. Unfortunately, it has not. The average velocity of his throws has actually gone down in 2025, ranking dead last among qualified shortstops. He lacks range at the position, too. Over the last two seasons combined, Edwards has accrued minus-12 defensive runs saved and minus-16 outs above average.
With Edwards beginning a rehab assignment with Jacksonville tonight, he’s on track to be reinstated from the injured list during the upcoming Marlins homestand.
Down on the farm, Triple-A Jacksonville swept their doubleheader, 8-0 and 1-0. Eury Pérez was excellent (5.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K, 72 pitches/46 strikes). It’s looking like he’ll make just one more start before returning to the majors. Also in the midst of rehab assignments, Dane Myers went 1-for-4 and played center field while Declan Cronin threw a scoreless inning of relief. Jack Winkler homered and stole two bases. Double-A Pensacola lost, 3-1. Robby Snelling (7.0 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 6 K, 89 pitches/60 strikes) made the longest start of his minor league career. High-A Beloit won, 3-0. Nick Brink (6.0 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 4 K, 91 pitches/60 strikes) also made the longest start of his MiLB career. Michael Snyder is putting the finishing touches on an impressive month of May. After hitting a go-ahead home run on Wednesday, he has 19 RBI in 19 games with more walks than strikeouts. Low-A Jupiter won, 11-10. The 14-inning affair was the longest game played at any level of the Marlins org this season.Â
More Marlins news and content below:
🔷 Craig Mish made another guest appearance on Fish Unfiltered (embedded below and available wherever you get your podcasts). He discussed Edwards, among many other topics, including the possibility of trading him in the not-so-distant future.
🔷 The Marlins’ recent trip to Anaheim was special for Eric Wagaman, who grew up attending Angels games and earned his first MLB call-up with them last September, writes Christina De Nicola.
🔷 Nick Deeds of MLB Trade Rumors analyzes the breakout of Kyle Stowers while cautioning that poor plate discipline could come back to bite him.
🔷 The Prediction Time leaderboard has been updated through the first 18 series. Become a SuperSub and we’ll keep track of your predictions all season long!
🔷 Elsewhere around baseball, Houston Astros starter Ronel Blanco is scheduled to undergo season-ending right elbow surgery next week. The aforementioned Tim Anderson was designated for assignment by the Angels. Hard to imagine him getting another big league opportunity after consecutive seasons of a sub-.500 OPS. The Colorado Rockies are now 25(!) games back of the NL West division lead and it isn’t even June yet.
🔷 Today’s MiLB schedule:Â
Triple-A Jacksonville at Gwinnett, 7:05 p.m. ET
Double-A Pensacola at Montgomery, 7:35 p.m. ET
High-A Beloit at Lansing, 7:05 p.m. ET
Low-A Jupiter vs. Daytona, 5:00 p.m. ET
FCL Marlins vs. FCL Nationals, 12:00 p.m. ET
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Marlins podcast episodes
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