Graham Pauley avoided UCL damage after an MRI, keeping his Opening Day hopes alive as the Marlins’ third base competition remains unsettled.
The Miami Marlins can exhale -- at least a little.
An MRI on Graham Pauley’s right arm revealed no UCL damage, according to a report Tuesday from Marlins Radio Network.
In a spring where forearm tightness triggers worst-case fears, that’s significant news. The ligament is intact. Surgery is not on the table. The season is not in jeopardy.
But that doesn’t mean this storyline disappears overnight.
Pauley is currently able to field ground balls, according to a CBSSports report Tuesday, but has not yet been cleared to throw or hit. That detail matters. Third base is not a position where you can fake arm strength or rush back into game reps. Timing, mechanics, and arm confidence all have to sync up.
And for Pauley, timing is everything.
The 25-year-old told reporters he could return to games within a week, in the best-case scenario, and no later than two weeks. That keeps Opening Day on the table -- but it tightens the margin considerably.
Spring competitions are built on rhythm. Pauley entered camp with a real chance to win the everyday third base job. He brought defensive stability, a disciplined approach at the plate, and the kind of Triple-A power (.511 slugging last season) that suggested offensive growth was coming.
The MRI results preserve that opportunity. They don’t guarantee it.
Even a minor interruption in reps can alter how a staff evaluates readiness. Especially for a club like Miami, which has leaned heavily on internal development and roster flexibility.
While Pauley rehabs, Connor Norby continues to get extended looks at third base.
Norby offers more raw pop but carries defensive and swing-and-miss concerns. What started as a balanced competition briefly tilted when Pauley was shut down. Now it shifts again -- not dramatically, but subtly.
If Pauley returns quickly and resumes throwing without setbacks, the original battle likely resumes. If there’s lingering hesitation or delayed clearance for full defensive work, Norby could gain the inside track by default.
And that’s the nuance here: being cleared of UCL damage doesn’t erase the calendar.
The Marlins’ third base depth behind Pauley and Norby remains limited. Christopher Morel is transitioning primarily to first base. Deyvison De Los Santos profiles better elsewhere defensively. Javier Sanoja offers versatility but limited offensive impact.
That context makes Pauley’s clean MRI even more important. This wasn’t just about one player’s health.
For now, Miami avoided the worst-case scenario. The ligament is intact. The season remains intact.
But spring training doesn’t pause for recovery timelines. Pauley has a path back. The question now isn’t whether he’ll play in 2026.
It’s whether he can reclaim momentum fast enough to win the job he nearly lost before he ever truly secured it.
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