With Liam Hicks now headed to the Tampa Bay Rays, the Marlins have created a new opening that could send Agustín Ramírez over to first base for the first time. Peter Bendix said Ramírez will begin getting reps there, though it remains unclear when he’ll actually see game action at the position.
That doesn’t mean Miami is abandoning him as a catcher entirely. Joe Mack is the club’s full-time starter behind the plate, and Ramírez could still step in if something happened to Mack.
But the idea of Ramírez handling the job every day appears to be fading. His defense never matched the expectation when he opened the season as the starting catcher, and the Marlins clearly need to be careful about how much they ask him to do.
The more logical fit may be to keep Ramírez in the lineup as the designated hitter while he learns first base on the side. The source of the problem is simple: this is not a quick fix.
He is not going to become comfortable at first in the middle of a season without a long stretch of work, and Miami doesn’t want to repeat the Christopher Morel situation. If the Marlins want his bat in the mix, DH is the cleaner path, with Griffin Conine or another option covering first base.
Ramírez’s offensive upside is still the reason this matters. Before his demotion, he was hitting .230/.318/.345 with five doubles, one triple and two home runs. He also finished sixth in 2025 NL Rookie of the Year voting after a season that included 21 homers, 67 RBIs, 124 hits and 33 doubles.
There’s also no question about his approach. Ramírez has been praised for his work ethic and his willingness to do whatever helps the team. Even after being moved around and sent down, he has kept grinding rather than letting the situation drag him down.
At the same time, the defensive issues are real and they’re hard to ignore. Ramírez led the majors last season with 10 errors and 19 passed balls.
In Triple-A, he added 15 errors and allowed nine passed balls in 49 games. That’s not the kind of progress Miami wants to see if it’s trying to trust him with more catching work.
Still, the bat has started to show some life again. Since the start of July, Ramírez has posted nine extra-base hits and a .787 OPS in the minors, which at least gives the Marlins a reason to keep him in the conversation while they sort out how best to use him. Bendix also said Max Meyer is expected to pitch again this season.
In Other News...
Marlins Trade Is Already Under Scrutiny After Ex Prospect Makes History
Liam Hicks did not take long to make the Marlins wonder what they gave away. In his Tampa Bay debut after being traded from Miami, Hicks delivered a third-inning grand slam that immediately changed the tone of the game and gave the Rays a jolt they had been waiting for all season. It was the kind of first impression that tends to linger, especially when it comes against a division rival and lands with extra historical weight.
The blast was the first grand slam of Hicks career debut in franchise history and also Tampa Bays first of the season, which only sharpened the attention on the move that sent him out of Miami. Rays manager Kevin Cash praised the impact, and Hicks said the moment carried real significance for him too. For the Marlins, though, the more uncomfortable part is still hanging in the background: the return package that brought him to Tampa Bay is already going to be judged against a debut that could not have gone much better. [Read more 🡒]
Joe Mack Is Forcing A Marlins Decision They Can't Delay
Joe Mack has gone from promising young catcher to a player the Marlins can no longer treat as a distant part of the plan. His strong 2026 season has already put him in franchise territory, including a Marlins single-season record for catcher WAR in the post-J.T. Realmuto era, and the organization has acted like it knows what it has. Trading a backup catcher was another sign that the path is being cleared for Mack, while president Peter Bendix has already labeled him a budding superstar.
The bigger question now is how long Miami can wait before turning that belief into something formal. The Marlins have not extended a players contract since March 2022, and with Macks rise making him one of the most important pieces on the roster, the pressure is building to get ahead of the next stage rather than chasing it later. In a market that has been careful with its commitments, Mack is forcing a decision the club can keep postponing only for so long. [Read more 🡒]
Marlins Collapse Changed Everything About This Seasons Outlook
A 12-game losing streak can do more than wreck a week on the schedule, and for the Marlins it has reset the tone around an entire season. What had looked like a team with something to build on suddenly became a club measuring damage control, with the skid standing out not just for its length but for how sharply it altered the conversation inside the organization and around the league.
The impact reached beyond the standings, too, because the slump shaped how Miami approached the trade deadline and what remained of its playoff hopes. Earlier Marlins losing streaks have come and gone, but this one carried a different weight, leaving the season outlook far removed from where it had been before the slide began. [Read more 🡒]