Struggling with a cold streak, Miami demotes former top prospect Graham Pauley to find his swing while a wave of fresh reinforcements arrives to stabilize the bullpen.
MIAMI — In the midst of a four-game losing streak, the Miami Marlins continue to shake up the roster.
Chief among their flurry of moves Thursday was sending starting third baseman Graham Pauley to Triple-A Jacksonville.
Pauley was a key piece in the Tanner Scott trade with the San Diego Padres in 2024 and was expected to be a great defender at the hot corner, as well as a solid bat. He was slashing .173/.225/.293 in 81 plate appearances to start the season.
While the bat wasn’t there, Pauley remained a solid glove at third base, telling Roundtable Sports that the bat and glove are things “you don't want to intertwine.”
“You don't want to take your at-bats out on the field,” Pauley said. “You don't want to take anything you do out on the field into the at-bat. You want to keep them separate.
“But also, for me, it's a good way to kind of like stay locked into every game,” He added. “Something that I pride myself on a lot is to be a good defender.”
Pauley gave the Marlins hope in his development last year when he posted a .840 second-half OPS. The hope with him being sent back to the minor leagues is that he can find his swing again by the time the Marlins need him again.
In his place is the return of left fielder Heriberto Hernández. The 26-year-old was sent down after slashing .159/.284/.474 with three stolen bases and nine RBI in 63 at-bats.
Hernández drove in a walk-off double for the Jumbo Shrimp on Wednesday, beating Charlotte 7-6.
“I was trying to put the ball in play,” Hernandez said after the game. “The energy was good today.”
Dax Fulton is also going back to Triple-A after making his MLB debut on Wednesday. He threw four innings in relief, where he allowed two runs on three hits with two walks and three strikeouts in the Marlins 7-4 loss against the Baltimore Orioles.
During his postgame press conference, Marlins manager Clayton McCullough congratulated Fulton for “taking down four innings for us and allowing us to give everybody a bit of a reset down there.”
“I thought he spun the ball pretty well, his changeup going, threw some good heaters,” McCullough said.
In his place is Stephen Jones, another reliever from Jacksonville to help prevent the Marlins from taxing their bullpen during their 10-game homestand. Jones posted a 3.24 ERA, striking out 19 and walking 13 over 16.2 innings for the Jumbo Shrimp this season.
Jones signed a minor league contract with the Marlins entering the 2026 season after spending the previous year in the Padres' farm system. Should he make an appearance on Thursday, he will be the fifth Marlin to make his Major League debut in consecutive days.
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