Miami bolsters its elite bullpen with a healthy closer, while a dominant Triple-A stint earns the former postseason starter a long-awaited rotation return following a prospect's injury.
Leading up to their road matchup against the Minnesota Twins on Wednesday, the Miami Marlins bring back closer Pete Fairbanks from the 15-day injured list.
Fairbanks has converted five of six save opportunities before his stint on the IL. The Marlins bullpen overall paces MLB with a .189 opponent's AVG and their 99 hits allowed are the fewest in baseball.
In a corresponding move, the Marlins placed LHP Robby Snelling on the 15-day IL. Snelling, Miami's No. 2 prospect, was coming off his MLB debut on May 5, allowing three runs over five innings against the Washington Nationals.
Marlins manager Clayton McCullough said during his pregame press conference in Minnesota on Wednesday that Snelling “reported some discomfort” following a bullpen session on Tuesday. Imaging discovered a UCL sprain and while McCullough said there will be “further evaluations” on the severity, a stint on the injured list was inevitable.
Braxton Garrett was originally slated to pitch for Triple-A Jacksonville on Wednesday but will be called up to take Snelling’s spot in the rotation on Thursday against the Twins. Garrett was coming back from missing the 2025 season due to Tommy John surgery. McCullough picked Janson Junk over Garrett to round out the Opening Day starting rotation in spring training.
“I think with Brax, he came into camp certainly in a place where he was competing for one of our rotation spots and threw the ball well in spring,” McCullough said. “It came down to that point, we had a number of other guys who had also thrown the ball well.”
Garrett has posted a 2.30 ERA and 0.80 WHIP with 32 strikeouts in 31.1 innings over six starts at Triple-A Jacksonville. He threw six no-hit innings in his third start of the season and followed it up with an 8-inning no-hitter in a loss.
“Total pro,” McCullough said “Just kept his head down and continued to throw and get built up after a lengthy absence of his own and is throwing the ball well in Jacksonville.”
Garrett exceeded rookie limits in 2022, when he started 17 games with a career-best 3.58 ERA for the Marlins. His best season was in 2023, where he recorded a 3.66 ERA with an 8.79 K/9 in 31 outings, as well as starting in Game 2 of the National League wild-card series against the Philadelphia Phillies.
“He’s certainly no stranger to performing in the Major League level,” McCullough said. “While disappointed for Robby, we know Brax has certainly pitched well here in the past. He’s earned the chance to come back here and be a part of our rotation.”
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