Marlins to Rest Max Meyer Sunday, Through All-Star Break

MIAMI – The Miami Marlins will enter the final series before the MLB All-Star Break with two of their top three pitchers on the mound against the Cleveland Guardians. 

Sandy Alcantara (10-4, 4.00 ERA) will open the series on Friday and Eury Pérez (5-6, 3.84 ERA) will go on Saturday. However, instead of sending out Max Meyer on Sunday, the Marlins opted to use their bullpen throughout the series finale. 

Meyer is typically scheduled to pitch on Sunday. Still, Marlins manager Clayton McCullough told reporters on Thursday it made more sense for the team to have their All-Star right-hander get as much rest as possible before the start of the second half of the season.

“We're all certainly very aware of where Max is at this point, and with the starts and the innings that he's already thrown,” McCullough said. “We could use the four days after his last start, get some time as well with the All-Star break.”

Meyer last pitched on Tuesday in a 6-5 extra-inning win over the Seattle Mariners. He gave up two runs on four hits and four strikeouts in 80 pitches over five innings. Despite being fresh going into the MLB All-Star Game on Tuesday, July 14, Meyer will still be an inactive participant. 

“He can go enjoy all the festivities in Philadelphia and be a fan in the dugout, and then just to give him a little bit of a breather here,” McCullough said, “as we continue to push him through his first real full season in the big leagues.”

Meyer broke out as one of the best pitchers in the National League, living up to the potential the Marlins saw in selecting him in the first round of the 2020 Draft. The 27-year-old is 9-1 with a 2.58 ERA and a 1.11 WHIP in 108 innings pitched. He had never thrown more than 64.2 innings or made more than 12 starts in a season since making his MLB debut in 2022. 

Various injuries seemingly stunted his growth, leading up to this crucial season. Now that he is unlocked, the Marlins are doing what they can to maintain his strength and stamina as they make their run towards the postseason. 

“The whole time we're always going to this year kind of read and react as things were going, and I just felt like the timing was right now to give him a bit of a blow,” McCullough said. “This would be the most optimal way to give him a little bit of a reset and a breather.”

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