Miami

Marlins

Meyer was excellent until faltering a bit the third time around the Diamondbacks’ lineup. He’d forced 10 swings-and-misses with strikeouts over the first three innings and looked unstoppable. His slider command was perfect as it darted just below the strike zone time and time again to leave his opponents spinning. He may have leaned on that pitch a bit too much though, throwing it more than twice as much as any other pitch in his arsenal. Arizona jumped ahead after Meyer threw Corbin Carroll two straight sliders in the bottom of the zone. The first he fouled off before lacing a single on the next one. Pavin Smith homered in the next inning when similarly Meyer threw him consecutive changeups with the second getting too much of the plate. Nevertheless, it was a solid start overall for Meyer who continues to grow as a pitcher. He’s lined up for a juicy two-start week against the Reds and Mariners next week.

Pauley has been shipped back to the minors following Wednesday’s game against the Diamondbacks to make room for Connor Norby (oblique) to be activated from the injured list ahead of Thursday’s series finale at loanDepot park.

Pérez threw 45 pitches on Wednesday in a live batting practice session, which included three up-and-downs, as he continues to ramp up his throwing progression towards a midseason return to Miami’s rotation. The dynamic 22-year-old righty should be ready to make his first rehab start in mid-May and could potentially be ready by mid-to-late June for his season debut.

Bride gives Minnesota some immediate help at multiple spots with Willi Castro (oblique), Matt Wallner (hamstring) and Carlos Correa (wrist) dealing with injuries. The 29-year-old infielder was removed from Miami’s 40-man roster earlier this week after going 4-for-40 in 12 games to open the year.

Myers hasn’t played since last Wednesday, but it appears likely he’ll return for Thursday’s series finale against Arizona.

Gillispie dropped to 0-2 with a 6.63 ERA through four starts. He’ll likely keep his spot for now and face the Phillies this weekend, but he’s the obvious candidate to be dropped from the Marlins rotation when Ryan Weathers returns.

We might need a review on that. While the ball was definitely crushed, Statcast put it at 117.4 mph, which is rare air indeed. Again, it’d be the hardest hit ball of this Giancarlo Stanton-less season. It’d top his previous high in 45 major league games by five mph (112.5 mph). He topped out at 114.9 mph in Triple-A, so maybe 117.4 isn’t impossible. If it’s legit, we’d have to reevaluate everything here. He’s already off to a nice start with his .320/.393/.480 line in 56 plate appearances. He also has only a 25% strikeout rate, which is really impressive for a player who annually topped 35% in the minors until last year.

Myers hasn’t appeared in a game since last Wednesday, but there’s been no indication that he’s headed to the injured list. It’ll be Jesús Sánchez in center field on Tuesday night in his return from the IL.

Pérez continues to ramp up his throwing program in advance of a midseason return to Miami’s rotation. The uber-talented 22-year-old is in the final stages of his rehabilitation process from Tommy John surgery and should be set for minor league rehab starts at some point in the coming weeks.