The Marlins have selected the contract of righty Nick Neidert and designated fellow right-hander Jimmy Yacabonis for assignment to open a spot on the 40-man roster, per the team. A 26-man roster spot was opened by placing lefty Daniel Castano on the seven-day concussion-related injured list. Miami also announced that Garrett Cooper (who is on the 10-day injured list due to a minor wrist injury) is beginning a minor league rehab assignment today.
Yacabonis inked a minor league deal with the Marlins just after the lockout ended, and after his contract was selected in June, the righty posted a 6.75 ERA over 9 1/3 innings in a Marlins uniform. It marked Yacabonis’ first MLB action since the 2020 season, as he spent last year in the Mariners organization but didn’t take the hill for the big league club.
Since Yacabonis is out of minor league options, Miami had to turn to the DFA route to remove him from the active roster. With only a 5.80 ERA to show for 113 1/3 career frames in the majors, Yacabonis doesn’t jump out as an obvious candidate to be claimed, as the right-hander has been plagued by walks and home runs throughout his time in the Show. That said, Yacabonis’ strikeout rate in both the majors and minors this season is far and away his career best, so another club could be intrigued by this seeming newfound ability to miss bats. Free agency is also a possibility rather than a DFA claim, as since Yacabonis has been outrighted previously in his career, he has the ability to reject an outright assignment and become a free agent.
Neidert was himself outrighted off the 40-man roster after the Marlins designated him for assignment back in April, and he’ll now be in line for his first Major League appearance of the 2022 season, starting today’s game against the Mets. With Castano, Trevor Rogers, and Max Meyer all being lost to the injured list within the last week, Neidert will step into the rotation and get an opportunity to carve a niche for himself in a pitching-deep organization.
Neidert has seen action in each of the previous two MLB seasons, with a 4.70 ERA over 44 innings (starting seven of 12 career games). Originally acquired by Miami as part of the trade that sent Dee Strange-Gordon to the Mariners back in 2017, Neidert has posted some solid numbers at the Triple-A level, relying on strong control and soft contact moreso than a lot of strikeouts. That said, Neidert’s 27.2% strikeout rate over 40 innings at Triple-A Jacksonville this season is the highest of his career.