JUPITER, Fla. – Marlins right-hander Max Meyer didn’t feel jitters in his long-awaited return to the mound, though he wishes he did.
In fact, Meyer was tepid about his Grapefruit League debut but rather pleased with the chilly weather during Monday afternoon's 5-4 loss to the Cardinals at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium.
“I kind of understand how spring is,” Meyer said. “You want to slowly increase. You don't want to go and try to make the team [on the] first day and do something you're not supposed to be doing. So, yeah, just building up, taking it one day at a time.”
Meyer, who will enter his fourth big league season in 2026, has seen each of them prematurely end due to injuries. His rookie campaign in ‘22 lasted just six innings before he required Tommy John surgery, which also kept him out for the entirety of the ‘23 season. Right shoulder bursitis sidelined Meyer in September 2024, and he underwent a season-ending left hip labral repair procedure on June 27, 2025.
Monday marked Meyer’s first time on the mound since.
“It's nice not being on the injured list and being an actual player again,” Meyer said. “It obviously sucks. Everyone has to go through it. I've had to do a lot more than some other guys. It just feels good to be in the dugout and you know that you're going to pitch in a few days, and you can actually think about it a little bit and get ready.”
The last time Meyer pitched in a game, on June 2, he surrendered five runs (four earned) on 10 hits over five innings against the Rockies. Miami placed him on the 15-day injured list with a left hip impingement less than 24 hours later.
Meyer was clearly battling through the discomfort. During the early stages of the 2025 season, he seemed poised to be one of the Majors' top breakout arms by putting together a 2.10 ERA over his first five starts, including a 14-strikeout performance. Over his last seven starts, it ballooned to a 7.01 ERA. Despite this, Meyer set single-season career highs for starts (12) and innings (64 2/3).
Knowing that he would be ready for 2026 Spring Training with a recovery timeline of six to eight months, Meyer used the offseason to put on some weight, with the hope it would make him more physical and lead to better health. He added more vert to his fastball, cleaned up the shapes of his pitches and got more depth on his changeup.
“Unfortunately, he just hasn't had the chance to be able to just get on the mound and pitch and go through a lot of experiences that you knew would help from year to year because of some missed time due to injury,” manager Clayton McCullough said. “The health part and the durability is a thing. I think that he's in a great spot right now and will be fine, but certainly, just the chance to be able to get on the mound with regularity and pitch through stretches of success, while also having to adjust and pitch through times when things don't go well, is an important part of becoming a really high-end viable Major League starter. And we're hoping this is the year where Max gets the chance to put together a full year of work.”
That's to say, could this be a career-defining season for Meyer?
Since the Marlins selected Meyer third overall in the 2020 MLB Draft, the conversation has revolved around whether he would eventually convert to a backend reliever. If his body can’t hold up as a starter, that might be inevitable.
The Marlins’ starting-pitching depth includes righties Sandy Alcantara, Eury Pérez, Meyer, Janson Junk, Bradley Blalock, Adam Mazur and Ryan Gusto as well as lefty Braxton Garrett. Prospects Thomas White, Robby Snelling and Dax Fulton are at big league camp.
“That's always my goal, every season,” Meyer said. “I want to be there when they call my name, and I want to contribute when they call my name, and I don't want to be sitting on the sidelines anymore, because it's pretty frustrating. No, [Edward Cabrera and Ryan Weathers leaving] didn't change [my mentality] at all. Obviously, I'm going to miss those guys, fun to be around. But yeah, obviously I’ve got to step up.
“We have a lot of guys. We’ve got a bunch of guys that can fill in whenever. Your job is never going to be locked in through the whole season, because we have so many good pitchers coming up, and you’ve got to prove your worth, and you’ve got to stay healthy.”