Robby Snelling was called up from Triple-A Jacksonville to make his Major League debut Friday against the Washington Nationals, the report says.
Snelling was already fielding autograph requests from young Marlins fans a day before his first start, and he described the moment as “pretty surreal” while saying he was trying to “soak it in and get acclimated” with teammates, per the report.
The left-hander was selected 39th by San Diego in the 2022 amateur draft and was dealt to Miami in a 2024 package that sent Tanner Scott and Bryan Hoeing to the Padres, the report says. He did not make Miami’s initial 40-man roster despite impressing coaches during spring training, a development Snelling called both frustrating and motivating.
Snelling worked on lowering his walks, including improving his first-pitch strike rate, and his Triple-A numbers helped prompt the call. In six starts with Jacksonville this season he went 3-1 with the second-best ERA (1.86) among qualified pitchers and walked more than three batters only twice, the report says. Marlins manager Clayton McCullough praised Snelling as “a great competitor” who had worked hard and was “very deserving of this opportunity,” per the report.
The club opened a rotation spot after designating Chris Paddack for assignment on Tuesday. The report says Paddack signed a one-year, $4 million deal in the offseason, struggled in seven starts with an 0-5 record and a 7.63 ERA, and completed six innings in only one appearance. Miami had other options, including left-hander Braxton Garrett, but Snelling’s recent performance convinced the team he was ready, the report says.
The Jumbo Shrimp were coming off a walk-off win when Snelling learned of the promotion and was summoned to manager David Carpenter’s office, where Carpenter asked, “Well, you’re going to be throwing in Miami?” Snelling called the last few days a reunion with spring-training teammates like catcher Joe Mack, who scored the winning run on a throwing error in the ninth inning of Miami’s win over Baltimore on Thursday, and said being up and staying up is the ultimate goal, per the report.
