MIAMI, FL—The Miami Marlins will be relying heavily on Eury Pérez in 2026. Trades of Edward Cabrera and Ryan Weathers earlier this month leave the 22-year-old as the clear number two starter in their rotation.
Weeks in advance of spring training, Eury Pérez is already in South Florida. Pérez tells Fish On First that he’s been here throughout the entire offseason.
Following a bullpen session on Friday, Pérez did an interview in Spanish looking ahead to his third Marlins season, which he hopes will be his first full-length season at the major league level.
“I feel super healthy. This offseason has been incredible. I stayed here in Miami all year and I’ve tried to work as hard as possible to arrive ready,” Pérez said.
Last season, the right-handed pitcher was coming off Tommy John surgery and rejoined the Marlins roster in early June. He posted a 4.25 ERA, 3.67 FIP, 9.91 K/9 and 3.02 BB/9 in 95 ⅓ innings pitched. He made 20 starts, which was a career-high. “After the Tommy John, my arm feels great,” Pérez said. “I’m trying to stay that way to start the season with the team, which is what I want most, and to finish healthy as well.”
Pérez has been focused on adding some weight to his massive 6’8″ frame. Currently listed at 220 pounds, he says that he entered the offseason weighing in at 225 and is now up to 240, with the intention to add on more.
Pérez added a sweeper to his pitch mix near the end of the 2025 season, which he threw 7.7% of the time overall. In the small sample, he generated a 46.4% whiff rate and 28.9% PutAway rate. “It’s a pitch that we begun throwing during the season, but it’s still a pitch that we need to keep working on, by trying to keep it in the zone and when I want to throw it outside the zone,” Pérez said.
The changeup was highly rated while he was climbing up through the minor leagues. That’s been another focus for him as he plans to increase its 7.8% usage rate. It generated a 61.1% whiff rate and 15.2% PutAway rate. “It’s a pitch that is going to help me a lot in this league,” Pérez said.
ZiPS projections expect Pérez to work 110 innings, pitching to a 4.02 ERA, 3.99 FIP and finishing second on the team with 112 strikeouts.
Pérez threw alongside his teammate and mentor Sandy Alcantara on Friday. Alcantara will once again participate for the Dominican Republic in the World Baseball Classic coming up in March, but Pérez was not contacted, so he will remain with the Marlins throughout all of spring training.
“I’m waiting for the opportunity in a few years,” Pérez said regarding the WBC.
Marlins pitchers and catchers are set to report to Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium on February 11. The full-squad report date is February 16.