The Marlins spent 2026 feeling the absence of Ronny Henriquez in a bullpen that never quite settled in front of Pete Fairbanks.
Miami’s relief corps finished 18th in Major League Baseball with a 4.10 ERA, and the cracks were obvious. Anthony Bender missed the second half of the season because of injury, Tyler Phillips moved into a starting role, and the bridge to the ninth inning turned into a patchwork job.
That’s why Henriquez looms so large heading into 2027. He missed all of 2026 after undergoing right UCL reconstruction with an internal brace procedure, but the early signs are encouraging.
Last month, he was spotted multiple times continuing his throwing program at loanDepot park, and the latest update on the 26-year-old is that he’ll keep rehabbing in the Dominican Republic. Barring setbacks, he’s on track for a full season in 2027.
Miami knows exactly what it had before the injury. The club claimed Henriquez off waivers after the Twins designated him for assignment, and at that point he had logged only 31 innings with Minnesota.
Even after a spring training line of 5.14 ERA and 7.88 FIP in seven innings, the Marlins kept him on the Opening Day roster. That wasn’t a surprise in one sense - he was out of options - but it proved to be a smart call.
Henriquez turned that opportunity into one of the better relief seasons in the organization’s recent memory. In his first year with Miami, he posted a 2.22 ERA and 3.15 FIP across 69 appearances and 73.0 innings, with 12.08 strikeouts per nine and 3.33 walks per nine.
He picked up seven saves, struck out 98 batters - tying Edwin Díaz for second-most among National League relievers - and never landed on the injured list. He also struck out hitters in 60 different appearances, an all-time Marlins single-season record.
The stuff backed up the numbers. Henriquez brought the kind of swing-and-miss arsenal Miami badly missed this season, putting up a 16.7% swinging strike rate in 2025 and ranking in the 97th percentile among MLB pitchers in whiff rate. He was even tougher on left-handed hitters than right-handers, a useful trait for a club that doesn’t have much left-handed relief depth.
His best weapon was the sweeper, which produced a +7 Run Value, a 47.3% whiff rate and a .181 batting average against. The slider was even harder to square up, holding hitters to a .145 batting average against. Both pitches were set up by a fastball that averaged 96.7 mph.
The Marlins are not expected to go out and add another established veteran closer this offseason like Fairbanks. That keeps the door wide open for Henriquez to handle a variety of late-game spots, but the bigger point is simple: he should be the first reliever Miami thinks about when the leverage spikes.
Bullpen help is still on the shopping list. But if Henriquez gets back to his 2025 level, the Marlins could turn one of their shakier areas into something much more dependable.
In Other News...
Marlins Draft Class Already Has A Few Picks Fans Will Watch Closely
Baseball Americas 2026 MLB Draft report card gave the Marlins a nice early glimpse at how this class could develop, and it came with the kind of category-by-category breakdown that tends to catch the eye of fans who like to know where the upside really is. Among the 11 superlatives were labels for best pure hitter, best power hitter, fastest runner, best defensive player and best fastball, which is exactly the sort of spread that hints at a draft room trying to balance tools, polish and upside all at once.
The names worth tracking include Georgia outfielder Wessley Roberson, Florida prep shortstop Jacob Lombard and a handful of pitchers led by Ryan Peterson and Ethan Kleinschmit. Baseball America also pointed to a few players with especially intriguing backgrounds and others who may be closest to the majors, giving the Marlins a class with more than one path to follow as these picks begin their pro careers. [Read more 🡒]
Marlins Face One Offseason Decision That Could Shape Everything
The Marlins are heading into an offseason that feels heavier than a typical reset, with several roster questions tied to the same larger issue: how aggressively they want to commit to the next phase. Sandy Alcantaras future sits near the center of it, while the front office is also weighing whether players like Kyle Stowers fit into the long-term picture well enough to merit an extension. At the same time, Miami is sorting through bullpen plans after Pete Fairbanks departure, and there are still openings and competitions to settle in center field and at the corner-infield spots.
Theres also a staff change adding another layer to the winter. The club has moved on from hitting coach Pedro Guerrero, which means the Marlins are not just making personnel decisions on the field but also reworking part of the coaching structure behind it. For a team trying to build a clearer identity, these are the kinds of choices that can shape more than one season, and the way Miami handles this stretch will say plenty about whether it plans to stay patient or start pushing harder for a more defined roster. [Read more 🡒]