The Marlins are selecting the contract of right-hander Josh Ekness from Triple-A Jacksonville, according to SportsGrid’s Craig Mish. Miami only had 39 players on its 40-man roster so Ekness will take that last open slot, and he’ll take the 26-man roster spot of right-hander Cade Gibson, who was optioned to Triple-A after yesterday’s 6-5 loss to the Phillies.
Gibson was charged with four earned runs over just 1 2/3 innings of relief on Friday, plus he threw 50 pitches during that rough outing. He’ll head back to Triple-A while the Marlins bring Ekness’ fresh arm into the bullpen, and Ekness will be making his MLB debut whenever he appears in a game.
Ekness’ 5.68 ERA and 10.2% walk rate over 12 2/3 innings for Jacksonville this season are nothing special, though some outlier metrics (like a .400 BABIP and a 59.1% strand rate) are likely to blame for that inflated ERA. The key statistic from the Marlins’ perspective was surely Ekness’ 35.6% strikeout rate, which is a tick above the impressive swing-and-miss numbers he has shown earlier in his minor league career.
A 12th-round pick for the Marlins in the 2023 draft, Ekness ranks 30th on MLB Pipeline’s ranking of Miami’s top 30 prospects. He relies heavily on two plus pitches — a fastball with upper-90s velocity, and a sweeper that sits in the mid-80s. As Mish puts it, Ekness “has closer stuff,” and “profiles as a potential future leverage arm” if he can harness his control.
Miami has gotten pretty good results out of its relief corps this season, despite the struggles of closer Pete Fairbanks. With Fairbanks now on the 15-day injured list due to nerve irritation in his throwing hand, the Marlins’ bullpen is in a bit of flux, which could provide Ekness with an opportunity to stick on the 26-man roster.
