Marlins shuffle pitchers, sending Cade Gibson down after a tough outing and calling up Josh Ekness for a fresh arm.
MIAMI — After making his season debut with the Miami Marlins on Friday, left-handed pitcher Cade Gibson has been sent back down to Triple-A Jacksonville. He gave up four runs on five hits in the Marlins’ 6-5 loss against the Philadelphia Phillies.
Marlins broadcaster and longtime insider Craig Mish reported that the team will select the contract of Josh Ekness from Triple-A Jacksonville to fill the 40-man roster and give Miami a fresh arm to replace Gibson. Despite having a 5.68 ERA in nine outings this season, Ekness has struck out 21 batters in 12.2 innings pitched.
Gibson came up to the Marlins last week as the temporary replacement for closer Pete Fairbanks, who went on the injured list for nerve irritation in his thumb. Through 10 games in Triple-A this season, the 28-year-old struck out 15 batters through 13.2 innings with a 2.63 ERA and a 0.73 WHIP.
Before Friday’s game, Gibson hadn’t pitched since April 24, when he struck out two batters without giving up a hit in 0.2 innings against Gwinnett. Because of the stretch ahead of the Marlins, manager Clayton McCullough opted to let Gibson throw 50 pitches through two innings.
Gibson’s 50 pitches were the most for a Marlins reliever this season, outside of starting pitcher Chris Paddack, who pitched after Fairbanks’ opening outing against the New York Yankees on April 5.
“We're looking at a stretch of 26 [games] out of 27 days, 10 in a row here at home,” McCullough said during his postgame press conference. “Gibby had the count to be able to do that in the upper 40s, 50 probably about a max effort for him.”
Before sending Gibson to take over for starting pitcher Eury Peréz in the sixth inning, the Marlins were looking at a slim 2-1 deficit. He got into a bases-loaded jam from singles by Edmundo Sosa and Alec Bohm, plus a walk. Gibson escaped the Philly predicament on a double play.
The most Gibson threw in Triple-A this season was 36 at the beginning of the season. He threw 25 pitches after the sixth inning and Andrew Nardi was warming up in the bullpen.
McCullough opted to keep Gibson in the game, and it backfired. Bryce Harper hit a sharp double to right field and scored on a single by Edmundo Sosa. Bryson Stott then hit a three-run homer to make it a 6-1 game, turning a close game into a blowout.
“With the score of that game, with us being down, just trying to shorten it some,” McCullough said. “They strung some together there and ran it up on him.”
Stretching bullpen arms has become nothing new during McCullough’s short managerial tenure in Miami. A Marlins reliever threw 50 pitches in 19 outings since last year, including Gibson on May 12, 2025. The Marlins record (3-16) suggests that such a strategy isn’t paying off.
Miami has gone 3-16 in those contests, suggesting that such a strategy isn’t working.
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