Who could the Miami Marlins call up when MLB rosters expand? A look at possibilities
September is less than a week away, which means Major League Baseball active rosters are about to expand.
Starting on Sunday, MLB teams are able carry up to 40 players for the final month of the regular season.
For the Miami Marlins, who enter their four-game series against the Cincinnati Reds with a 47-82 record and are well on pace to finish last in the National League as Season 2 of their latest rebuild nears its conclusion, this provides an opportunity to take a look at some of their top prospects and see how they adjust to a month in the big-leagues.
It also allows the Marlins to bring back a host of players who are on the injured list — a group that includes shortstop Miguel Rojas, outfielder Cesar Puello, pitcher Jose Urena and utility player JT Riddle — without having to worry about
The question remains: Who are the primary call-up candidates? The only qualification the player must have is that he has to be on the team’s 40-man roster. The Marlins’ 40-man roster will be full once Urena is activated from the 60-day IL, but they can open up a slot by moving Brian Anderson from the 10-day IL to the 60-day IL.
The Marlins’ main plan is to add depth to their bullpen and possibly add another starting pitcher. The latter would allow them to move to a six-man rotation in the final month of the year and cut down some of the innings for pitchers such as Caleb Smith and Sandy Alcantara down the stretch.
Outside of the players returning from injury and relievers who have been up and down all season — like Tyler Kinley and Jose Quijada — here are four names to watch as possible call-ups for the Marlins.
Jorge Guzman
The Marlins acquired Guzman in the Giancarlo Stanton trade and he has certainly impressed down the stretch of the minor-league season. Guzman, the Marlins’ No. 17 overall prospect according to MLBPipeline, has given up just four earned runs on six hits and 11 walks while striking out 37 over 30 innings in his last five starts for the Double A Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp.
Marlins president of baseball operations Michael Hill told Jumbo Shrimp director of broadcasting Roger Hoover last week that he was impressed with Guzman’s development this season. The 6-2, 182-pound righty has a fastball that can reach triple digits and also has shown improved control of his slider and changeup. Guzman has been groomed as a starting pitcher but very well might be a high-leverage reliever down the road.
As for whether Guzman would be in Miami in September? Hill didn’t directly answer that one.
“This year has been a great learning experience for him, and he has really developed into a potential Major League pitcher,” Hill told Hoover. “I think we’re going to do what’s in the best interest for him, let him finish off as strong as he possibly can and then I think we’ll make the call if we’re going to give him a taste of Miami or not.”
Magneuris Sierra
Sierra, obtained in the Marcell Ozuna trade, played in 54 games with the Marlins last season, hitting .190 in 147 at-bats. The speedy outfielder has shown improved plate discipline in the minors this year, hitting .271 with 17 doubles, nine triples, seven home runs and 73 runs scored between Jacksonville and Triple A New Orleans.
He could be a spot starter over the final month and would likely be the first option to be a pinch-runner on a deeper bench.
Robert Dugger
Dugger, the Marlins’ No. 24 prospect who was obtained in the Dee Gordon trade, made his MLB debut on Aug. 4 in the first game of the Marlins’ doubleheader against the New York Mets. The 24-year-old has gone through his lumps in Triple A but the Marlins could give him a crack at a handful of big-league starts over the final month.
Wilkin Castillo
If Chad Wallach (concussion) doesn’t return from the IL this season — he was once again returned from his rehab assignment on Monday — and the Marlins want a third catcher for the final month, Castillo would be that person.
Castillo was on the big-league roster for about a week while Wallach and Jorge Alfaro were simultaneously on the IL. He hit a go-ahead double against the Philadelphia Phillies on June 22 in his first MLB game in more than a decade.
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