MIAMI – Marlins All-Star right-hander Max Meyer will not make his scheduled start on Sunday to close out the first half, manager Clayton McCullough announced on Thursday.
Meyer will also not pitch in the Midsummer Classic.
“Our reasoning there -- we're all certainly very aware of where Max is at this point -- and with the starts and the innings that he's already thrown, and us, certainly going to need to lean on him in the second half of this season,” McCullough said. “So, [we] felt it came at a nice time for us, where again, we could use the four days after his last start, get some time as well with the All-Star break.
“He can go enjoy all the festivities in Philadelphia and be a fan in the dugout, and then just to give him a little bit of a breather here, as we continue to push him through his first real full season in the big leagues.”
Entering this breakout campaign, Meyer had never thrown more than 64 2/3 innings or made more than 12 starts in the big leagues since his debut in 2022 due to various injuries.
Through 19 starts, Meyer is 9-1 with a 2.58 ERA and a 1.11 WHIP in 108 frames. He ranks 10th among National League qualifying pitchers in fWAR (2.3), tied for fourth in average against (.206) and tied for seventh in innings. Until falling to the Rockies on July 1 at Coors Field, Meyer had been the Majors’ last remaining unbeaten qualifying starting pitcher.
The 27-year-old Meyer last pitched on Tuesday, giving up two runs over five innings and 80 pitches to the Mariners.
“The whole time we're always going to this year kind of read and react as things were going, and I just felt like the timing was right now to give him a bit of a blow,” McCullough said. “Again, just missing the one start on Sunday, but the fact that we could build in the four extra days with the All-Star break, that this would be the most optimal way to give him a little bit of a reset and a breather.”
Miami will roll out righties Sandy Alcantara and Eury Pérez on Friday and Saturday, respectively, against the Guardians before using a bullpen game in Sunday’s series finale.