MIAMI — The Marlins will skip All-Star right-hander Max Meyer’s final start before the break and hold him out of the Midsummer Classic in Philadelphia, prioritizing rest for the 27-year-old as he navigates his first full big-league season.
Meyer, who is 9-1 with a 2.58 ERA and a 1.11 WHIP through 19 starts and 108 innings, had never thrown more than 64 2/3 innings or made more than 12 starts in the majors since his debut in 2022 due to various injuries. Manager Skip McCullough said the club wants to protect its ace for the second half.
“Our reasoning there — we’re all certainly very aware of where Max is at this point — and with the starts and the innings that he’s already thrown, and us, certainly going to need to lean on him in the second half of this season,” McCullough said. “So, [we] felt it came at a nice time for us, where again, we could use the four days after his last start, get some time as well with the All-Star break.”
Meyer ranks 10th among National League qualifying pitchers in fWAR (2.3), is tied for fourth in average against (.206) and tied for seventh in innings. Until falling to the Rockies on July 1 at Coors Field, Meyer had been the Majors’ last remaining unbeaten qualifying starting pitcher. He last pitched Tuesday, giving up two runs over five innings and 80 pitches against the Mariners.
“He can go enjoy all the festivities in Philadelphia and be a fan in the dugout, and then just to give him a little bit of a breather here, as we continue to push him through his first real full season in the big leagues,” McCullough said.
McCullough said the decision came down to timing. “The whole time we’re always going to this year kind of read and react as things were going, and I just felt like the timing was right now to give him a bit of a blow,” McCullough said. “Again, just missing the one start on Sunday, but the fact that we could build in the four extra days with the All-Star break, that this would be the most optimal way to give him a little bit of a reset and a breather.”
Miami will start righties Sandy Alcantara and Eury Pérez on Friday and Saturday, respectively, against the Guardians before using a bullpen game in Sunday’s series finale.