The Miami Marlins have announced that their 2025 first-round draft pick and top shortstop prospect Aiva Arquette underwent core muscle surgery on Friday. Being 4-6 weeks away from resuming baseball activities, he is all but certain to open the 2026 season with a stint on the injured list.
MLB.com’s Christina De Nicola explains that Arquette initially suffered a left groin injury during offseason workouts in his native Hawaii. The decision to undergo surgery was made when he continued to experience discomfort in spring training.
Unrelated to this latest injury, Arquette’s collegiate career was interrupted by knee surgery and a broken hand. However, he was fully healthy during his draft year. The Marlins selected him with the seventh overall pick and paid him the largest signing bonus in franchise history.
Arquette made his professional debut last summer. In 27 games with High-A Beloit, he slashed .242/.350/.323 (103 wRC+) with one home run and seven stolen bases. He took all of his defensive reps at shortstop and played well there.
Arquette enters this season as a consensus Top 100 MLB prospect (Baseball America, MLB Pipeline and The Athletic each consider him a top-50 talent). He ranks seventh on the Fish On First Top 30.
Even with immaculate health, it was unlikely that Arquette would reach the big leagues in 2026. This further diminishes those odds. Barring setbacks during the rehab process, the 22-year-old should be returning to minor league games by the end of April.
Starlyn Caba (FOF #8) could be a beneficiary of Arquette’s injury, potentially serving as Beloit’s full-time shortstop early in the season.
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