MIAMI – Left elbow surgery has been recommended for Marlins No. 2 prospect Robby Snelling, whose timetable for a return was not immediately clear. Dr. Keith Meister will perform the surgery in Dallas on Friday.
"Disappointing for him, us," manager Clayton McCullough said. "That's an unfortunate part of our industry. Guys go down. So Robby will have the surgery. We'll have more what the timeline and return to play will look like after that. We just keep going, and Robby will come back from this a stronger person."
Snelling (MLB Pipeline’s No. 28 overall prospect) experienced soreness in his left elbow during his bullpen session on May 12 following his Major League debut on May 8 and before his scheduled start on May 14 in Minneapolis.
An MRI would reveal a sprained UCL in Snelling’s left elbow, so Miami placed him on the 15-day injured list and recalled veteran lefty Braxton Garrett to take his rotation spot. Snelling was transferred to the 60-day IL on Thursday to make space on the 40-man roster for the acquisition of outfielder Rece Hinds from the Reds.
The Marlins had hoped Snelling, their 2025 Minor League Pitcher of the Year, could provide a spark after Chris Paddack was designated for assignment earlier this month. At the time of his callup, Snelling was one of the most dominant pitchers in the Minors, with a 1.86 ERA (second lowest in the International League), a 0.90 WHIP (third lowest) and 44 strikeouts (tied for the second most) in six starts. Snelling also earned International League Pitcher of the Week honors for tossing five no-hit frames his last time on the mound for Triple-A Jacksonville.
The 22-year-old Snelling will be the second starting pitcher on the Marlins’ 40-man roster to undergo elbow surgery this year, joining right-hander Adam Mazur. Miami took another blow to its depth by optioning Garrett to Triple-A Jacksonville on Wednesday after a second consecutive short start in Snelling's place. The remaining 40-man starting-pitching options include righties Bradley Blalock and Ryan Gusto and lefty Dax Fulton.
There is a possibility that Miami looks internally and converts right-hander Tyler Phillips, who has a 1.20 ERA in 15 relief appearances this season. In Wednesday's 9-1 loss, Phillips allowed one unearned run across three relief innings while throwing 43 pitches. Phillips previously made seven starts for the Phillies in 2024 and served as the opener on Sept. 7, 2025, for the Marlins.
Speaking hypothetically, McCullough said both the number of times up on the mound and total pitch count would be factored into the decision. Phillips could increase the latter by 15-20 pitches each turn through the rotation to build up as a starter.
"We know we haven't ruled that out," McCullough said. "I think that's a real possibility. We talked with Tyler about the possibility of that last year towards the back half of the season, and so [we] definitely believe that Tyler has an arsenal now that's better than it has been, and he has been certainly performing at a very high level that Tyler could certainly be a possibility to try to get stretched out and get in that spot."