MIAMI — Marlins All-Star right-hander Max Meyer received a cortisone shot for a lingering neck issue, with no firm timeline for his return to the mound, the team announced.
“We’re hoping that cortisone shot will help alleviate some of the discomfort,” manager Skip McCullough said. “It’ll kind of be more of the next few days how Max responds to that and determines [for] us when we ramp up the throwing again.”
The 27-year-old Meyer first felt the neck issue during his start on July 7 against the Mariners, then skipped his last scheduled start before the All-Star break on July 12. He did not pitch in the Midsummer Classic despite earning his first All-Star selection.
Miami has been hopeful that Meyer will pitch again in 2026. He has already surpassed his single-season career highs for innings (111) and starts (20) at the Major League level, compiling a 2.68 ERA and a 149 ERA+ — the numbers that earned him the All-Star nod. The neck setback marks the fifth straight year Meyer has missed time due to injury. Most recently in 2025, he went on the injured list with a left hip impingement in early June before having season-ending left hip labral repair surgery later that month.
McCullough also announced that rookie reliever William Kempner, who has been on the 15-day injured list with a right elbow sprain, will undergo elbow surgery. Kempner opened his big league career with a 2.92 ERA and a 0.973 WHIP in nine outings before the injury struck.
The Marlins’ next few days of monitoring Meyer’s response to the cortisone shot will determine when — and whether — the club’s most effective starter can resume throwing and rejoin the rotation this season.