MIAMI — The Marlins shut down right-hander Max Meyer for the remainder of the 2026 season after the first-time All-Star was unable to resume throwing following a neck strain that has sidelined him since mid-July, the club announced prior to its series opener against the Diamondbacks.
Meyer, 27, has discontinued his throwing program and will undergo further evaluation. He last pitched July 18 in a three-inning start against the Brewers after first experiencing a sensation in his neck during his July 7 outing. A cortisone shot in his rib area in mid-August failed to resolve the issue, and a recent attempt to play catch at loanDepot Park did not produce the progress needed for a late-season return.
“He tried to get back going there, and he just wasn’t able to get past the hump as he started throwing again,” manager Clayton McCullough said. “Even if we have a miracle finish here and we’re able to play beyond the regular season, Max just wasn’t going to have the time necessary to build up and get back to pitching.”
The shutdown caps a season in which Meyer made 20 starts and threw 111 innings — far and away his most at the big league level and tied for his most in a single year across stints with Double-A Pensacola and Triple-A Jacksonville in 2021. His first-half performance earned him his first career All-Star selection, the first for a Miami starter since Sandy Alcantara in 2022. Through the first half, Meyer ranked tied for 10th among qualifying National League hurlers in fWAR at 2.3, held opposing batters to a .206 average and posted a breaking ball run value of 13, ranking in the 98th percentile in the Majors.
The third overall pick in the 2020 Draft out of the University of Minnesota, Meyer ranked No. 3 overall on the Marlins’ Top 30 Prospects list each season from 2021-24. He has now missed time due to injury in each of the past five seasons.
“We just decided it was in the best interest of him and us to just halt the attempt and get him in a place where he has a really solid offseason going into next year,” McCullough said.
With Meyer sidelined, the Marlins will use the remaining schedule to evaluate arms including Tyler Phillips and Ryan Gusto down the stretch. The club’s focus with Meyer shifts to having him at full strength for Opening Day 2027, when Miami will look to compete in a crowded National League playoff race.