Janson Junk’s injury scare on Sunday at least came with a bit of relief for the Marlins.
The Miami starter was pulled from a rehab outing with the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp after a 106 mph batted ball struck his left wrist, but MLB.com Marlins beat writer Christina De Nicola reported that the X-rays came back negative. Junk is still set to make his next scheduled rehab appearance later this week.
That’s the kind of update Miami needed. Junk has been working back from a right shin bone injury that kept him out since the end of May, and the Marlins could use him back in the rotation as soon as possible.
This season has been a mixed bag for Junk. He’s posted a 4.80 ERA across 11 starts in his second year with Miami, and his 85 ERA+ reflects that uneven run. But the bigger picture matters here, too: this was supposed to be his first full season in the majors after bouncing around from 2021 to 2024 without throwing more than 16.1 innings in the big leagues.
He was much steadier a year ago. In 21 games, including 16 starts, Junk put up a 4.17 ERA and a 104 ERA+ as a dependable arm for the Marlins.
This year, he’s already taken a career-high five losses, though most of the damage came in a rough mid-May stretch. Over two starts and 10.2 innings against the Braves and Rays, he gave up 15 runs.
His most recent outing before the injury was a better one. Junk worked five innings in Toronto against the Blue Jays, allowing one run on eight hits while striking out three.
With Junk out, Miami turned to other arms to cover innings. Tyler Phillips stepped into the rotation and has made six starts since May 24, posting a 4.35 ERA in that span. Ryan Gusto was recalled from Triple-A Jacksonville to fill Junk’s spot, and he’s made five starts for the Marlins so far.
Gusto has been used more like an opener than a traditional starter, getting past four innings in only three of those outings, though he did manage to reach five innings once. He’s been effective enough, with a 4.42 ERA and just two home runs allowed.
Still, Miami’s need here is obvious. Junk brings experience to a young staff and, for the most part, has given the Marlins a steady hand this season. He threw only 42 pitches in his first rehab start before the early exit, so it would seem he’ll need at least two more outings before he’s ready to rejoin the big league club.
What was originally supposed to be a 2-3 week absence is now drifting into July, and that’s not the kind of timeline the Marlins wanted.
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