Today’s news roundup also includes an international free agent signing and a Marlins memorabilia sale.
When a player sticks on a team’s major league roster for an extended period without contributing, fans joke that so-and-so is “stealing money.” In the case of Graham Pauley, I actually see him as a victim. Prior to being optioned to Triple-A Jacksonville on Thursday, Pauley had spent essentially the entire season on the Miami Marlins despite clearly being unprepared for the assignment.
The Marlins’ vision for the 24-year-old infielder seemed logical enough initially. Starting third baseman Connor Norby suffered an oblique strain during the final weekend of spring training, so Pauley was supposed to fill in at the hot corner in the meantime.
Pauley was solid defensively through 14 games, but inadequate offensively. When Norby was reinstated on April 17, his understudy had a .191/.235/.277 slash line (38 wRC+) in 52 plate appearances. The Marlins optioned him to Triple-A where he would presumably get regular starting reps to prove himself as a hitter.
Plans changed less than 24 hours later. The Marlins determined that Derek Hill’s left wrist sprain was continuing to negatively impact his performance. He needed an injured list stint and Pauley was the member of the 40-man roster who made the most sense as a stopgap. They officially recalled him on April 18.
Every time it looked like Pauley was finally going to be set free to play consistently in Jacksonville, additional injuries kept him around even though he no longer had a defined role. He remained homerless and ineffective against right-handers. He didn’t make sense as a high-leverage pinch-hitter, pinch-runner or defensive replacement. Through 54 team games, he accrued 0.0 fWAR in 89 plate appearances (averaging only one PA per game following Norby’s return). Such a strange way to mishandle a player who was acquired by the current Marlins front office at last year’s trade deadline.
As a reminder, Pauley was one of Minor League Baseball’s most productive hitters in 2023! He had a 20-20 season en route to being named the San Diego Padres Minor League Player of the Year. The Marlins should’ve been using the past month-plus to troubleshoot ways to restore his slugging ability in a low-pressure MiLB environment, rather than keeping with the status quo which clearly wasn’t working.
This demotion was a necessary step to potentially get Pauley on a path toward a sustainable MLB career.
Down on the farm, Triple-A Jacksonville won, 3-1. Embarking on a rehab assignment and beginning his transition back to second base, Xavier Edwards went 0-for-4 with an RBI. Double-A Pensacola lost, 6-1, extending their losing streak to nine games. Josh Ekness had a rare blow-up that put the game out of reach (1.0 IP, 3 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 1 K, 21 pitches/13 strikes). High-A Beloit won, 10-9. Encouraging to see Noble Meyer attacking the strike zone (5.0 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 7 K, 69 pitches/44 strikes). Ryan Ignoffo‘s farm system-leading RBI total is up to 38. Low-A Jupiter won, 4-2. Andrés Valor went 2-for-4 with two doubles, a stolen base and two outfield assists. Four more scoreless innings for Luke Lashutka, who posted a 0.52 ERA in the month of May, making a compelling case to be promoted. FCL Marlins lost, 7-4. It’s been a brutal start to Luis León‘s MiLB career. The $1.5 million signing out of Cuba has only four hits through 15 games with a .415 OPS and 46.8% strikeout rate.
Prospects highlighted in this week’s minor league report include Valor, Robby Snelling, Payton Green, Cam Clayton and Dub Gleed.
More Marlins news and content below:
🔷 By my count, Venezuelan outfielder Edwin RamÃrez is the 23rd player to sign with the Marlins during the 2025 international free agent period. Shoutout to CJ Baseball Academy for sharing his emotional reaction to the news.
Â
Â
🔷 Once a Marlins fan growing up in Philadelphia, Matt has switched allegiances to the local Phillies. Now, he’s hoping to “find a good home” for his Marlins memorabilia.Â
🔷 JJ Cooper of Baseball America explores how Marlins minor league affiliates are so much better at base-stealing than anybody else.
🔷 Elsewhere around baseball, MLB has made a “strategic investment” in the new Athletes Unlimited Softball League. Old friend Kim Ng serves as the AUSL’s commissioner. The Los Angeles Dodgers acquired former All-Star reliever Alexis DÃaz from the Cincinnati Reds in exchange for pitching prospect Mike Villani. Jose Altuve has caught fire with five home runs in his last seven games, including a game-tying solo shot against the Tampa Bay Rays. After missing nearly a month with a left knee contusion, Mike Trout is being reinstated from the injured list today.
🔷 Today’s MLB game: the Marlins (probable starter RHP Cal Quantrill) host the San Francisco Giants (LHP Kyle Harrison). The Marlins have a 45.2% chance to win, per FanGraphs. First pitch at 7:10 p.m. ET.
🔷 Prior to the game, Fish On First LIVE will preview the series beginning at 6:00 p.m. ET. FOF LIVE is presented by About The Fans. Check out our new merchandise collection (coupon code fof10 for 10% off).
🔷 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 Lancaster, 7:05 p.m. ET
Low-A Jupiter vs. Daytona, 6:35 p.m. ET
FCL Marlins at FCL Nationals, 12:00 p.m. ET
Â
Marlins podcast episodes
Â
Â