A recurring nerve injury forced Pete Fairbanks back to the injured list Monday, potentially ending his inconsistent tenure in Miami just as free agency looms.
Pete Fairbanks’ first season with the Miami Marlins certainly didn’t go as planned, and his brief appearance Monday in the series opener at Chase Field against the Arizona Diamondbacks may have been his final outing as a Marlin.
Fairbanks entered the ninth inning with Miami holding a 7-6 lead, but his appearance lasted only six pitches before he was forced to leave with another bout of right median nerve irritation.
Miami would go on to lose 8-7 on a walk-off two-run home run by Corbin Carroll.
The Marlins placed Fairbanks on the injured list before Tuesday's game, marking the third time this season the right-hander has landed on the IL.
Each stint has been related to the nerve issue that has repeatedly interrupted his first season with the club.
The latest setback came less than a week after Fairbanks returned from his most recent IL stint. He had hoped to provide Miami with a dependable option at the back end of the bullpen down the stretch, but the recurring injury has made that difficult.
Miami signed Fairbanks to a one-year, $13 million contract during the offseason, bringing in the veteran reliever to serve as its primary closer after Ronny Henriquez was ruled out for the 2026 season following right elbow UCL reconstruction surgery with an associated internal brace (hybrid) in December.
Signing Fairbanks was expected to give the Marlins stability in the ninth inning, but his season, instead, became a combination of injuries and inconsistent results.
Fairbanks finished the season with 19 saves in 23 opportunities over 46 appearances. He posted a 6.31 ERA and 1.35 WHIP while striking out 57 batters in 41 1/3 innings.
There were signs of improvement before the latest injury. Fairbanks had converted five of six save opportunities during a recent stretch and allowed just one run over 10 appearances before Monday.
After returning from the IL, he was able to make only two appearances before the nerve problem surfaced again.
The injury also comes at a potentially significant point in Fairbanks' career. He is scheduled to become a free agent after the season, meaning the Marlins will have to determine whether they want to bring him back or look elsewhere for their bullpen needs.
Unfortunately, Monday's six-pitch appearance could ultimately serve as an unexpected ending to his time in Miami.
If in fact Monday was his final appearance in a Miami uniform, Fairbanks will leave behind a season that produced 19 saves but was repeatedly derailed by an injury that kept him from establishing the consistency the Marlins had hoped to receive when they signed him.
