Aug. 18: The Marlins announced that Acosta has indeed been recalled for his MLB debut. Pauley will head to the 10-day injured list, as the side discomfort that kept him out of yesterday’s game was due to what’s now been diagnosed as a strained oblique.
Aug. 17: The Marlins are calling up middle infield prospect Max Acosta from Triple-A Jacksonville, El Extra Base’s Daniel Alvarez-Montes reports. Only a 26-man roster will need to be made prior to tomorrow’s game between the Cardinals and Marlins, since the 22-year-old Acosta is already on Miami’s 40-man roster.
Acosta will be making his MLB debut whenever he makes his first appearance with the Fish. Playing almost exclusively as the everyday shortstop in Jacksonville, Acosta has hit .232/.319/.376 over 430 plate appearances in his first taste of Triple-A ball, while stealing 28 bases in 35 attempts. It took him some time to adjust to the higher level, as Acosta’s season is split between a .215/.316/.269 slash line over his first 215 plate appearances, and a much improved .247/.321/479 slash line in his last 215 PA.
This power boost over the last two and a half months provides some answer to evaluators’ doubts about his ability to hit at the big league level, though it runs counter to MLB Pipeline’s scouting report, which felt Acosta’s ability to hit for average could be his offensive calling card rather than his modest power. His speed is fairly average but he is an effective base stealer, and Acosta provides at least average defense at shortstop and second base (the other position he has played during his pro career). Pipeline ranks Acosta as the 25th-best prospect in Miami’s farm system, while Baseball America has the infielder 28th.
An international signing for the Rangers in 2019, Acosta was added to Texas’ 40-man roster for the first time last November in advance of the Rule 5 draft. The Rangers then dealt Acosta and two other prospects to the Marlins in December in the trade that brought Jake Burger to Arlington.
Otto Lopez has been struggling badly at the plate since the start of July, and while Lopez remains an excellent defensive shortstop, the Marlins might want to give him a bit more time in the outfield or at third base while seeing what they have in Acosta. MLB.com’s Christina De Nicola reports that Graham Pauley didn’t play today due to side tightness, so if Pauley needs to go on the injured list, that opens up third base for Lopez to share time with Eric Wagaman.