MIAMI — Drafted third overall in the 2020 MLB Draft, the Miami Marlins have seen the best and worst of right-handed pitcher Max Meyer.
Injuries plagued Meyer’s career early on, and even last season, the 27-year-old Woodbury, Minnesota native landed on the injured list in early June with a left hip impingement/labral injury.
He would undergo season-ending left hip labral repair surgery in late June.
There were times when Meyer wondered if he would ever build a solid professional career, as the injuries piled up and frustration mounted.
It’s been a different story seven starts into the 2026 campaign for Meyer, however, as he blanked the Philadelphia Phillies over seven innings of one-hit ball May 2 at loanDepot park in the Marlins’ 4-0 win - lowering his ERA to 2.68.
It took 83 pitches for Meyer to get the job done, generating 15 swing-and-misses while mixing a deep arsenal that kept Philadelphia off balance.
He leaned most heavily on his breaking stuff, throwing 22 sweepers and 21 sliders, while also mixing in 19 four-seam fastballs, 11 sinkers, and 10 changeups.
Meyer’s journey has come full circle in more ways than one.
His first career start came against the Phillies with Don Mattingly leading the Marlins’ dugout, and now his latest dominant outing came with Mattingly on the opposing side, watching from the visiting dugout as Meyer continued to round into form.
Dating back to his outing April 20 against the St. Louis Cardinals, Meyer has coughed up just two earned runs and, most importantly, has kept the ball in the ballpark.
The last home run Meyer allowed came April 9 against the Cincinnati Reds.
Meyer’s next outing is scheduled for Thursday at 6:40 p.m. ET against a Baltimore Orioles squad looking to complete a three-game sweep at loanDepot park.
The Orioles have hit starters Sandy Alcantara and Eury Pérez hard, as the two right-handers have combined to allow 12 runs.
You won’t always get a laugh or even a small smirk from Meyer, but his work is certainly drawing attention.
For the Marlins, that development carries weight beyond one arm.
Their rotation has leaned heavily on upside in recent seasons, and Meyer was always central to that vision. The question was never talent - it was availability and consistency.
Seven starts don’t fully answer those questions, but they’re starting to point in a direction.
And if the health holds, it may not just be a good stretch - it could be the beginning of what the Marlins believed they were getting all along.
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