Despite a promising start, Jansen Junk faces a fierce battle for a coveted rotation spot amidst Miami's pitching depth.
Jansen Junk's first season with the Miami Marlins went pretty well.
He started 16 games for the Fish, and although his 4.17 ERA looks pedestrian, his ERA without defensive in the equation (Fielding Independent Pitching) was more than a full run lower.
Additionally, Junk’s ERA+, which measures his earned run average relative to the rest of the league, was 106, which is six points above the league average.
These are numbers that most rotations would take, but because of Miami’s starting pitching depth, Junk will have to fight to make it into the starting rotation.
Junk is the latest subject of "Getting to Know the Fish," a Marlins Roundtable series profiling each Miami player.
Age: 29
Height: 6-foot-2
Weight: 197 pounds
Hometown: Federal Way, Washington
Last Year: Junk didn’t make his season debut until late May, having started the year in AAA. In two starts that month, Junk gave up just one run over nine innings. June was a mixed bag for Junk, who looked good at times (5.2 shutout innings against the Nationals in Washington June 14), and not so good at others (five earned runs over 3.2 innings against the Giants in San Francisco June 26).
Junk had his best three-start stretch of the season in July, giving up just three earned runs over 19 innings in starts against the Minnesota Twins, Cincinnati Reds and Baltimore Orioles.
In August, he hit a bit of a wall. He started the month by giving up six runs over five innings against the New York Yankees in the Bronx.
Aside from a solid outing against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway (three ER over seven innings), the rest of Junk’s month was just OK, and he ended August with a 5.86 ERA, his highest for a single month during the season.
September started rough for Junk, who allowed six earned runs over 4.1 innings against the Nationals. But the rest of the month went better. Junk allowed five earned runs over his final 17.2 innings.
So what does 2026 look like for Junk?
Where He Stands: Even without Edward Cabrera, who the Marlins traded to the Cubs last week, Miami still has a good-looking rotation that could be even better if top prospects Thomas White and Robby Snelling are called up and are effective.
So Junk will enter spring training fighting for a rotation spot, and he could start the year in long relief.
Join the Community! Don't miss out on our ROUNDTABLE community and the latest news! It's completely free to join. Share your thoughts, engage with our Roundtable writers, and chat with fellow members.
Download the free Roundtable APP, and stay even more connected!