Miami Marlins links, 4/27/18: Top prospects erupt, undercover superstar, latest roster buzz

Miami Marlins news and notes for Friday, April 27...

Monte Harrison, Isan Diaz slug Jumbo Shrimp to victory

Arguably the most intriguing Marlins minor league affiliate entering the season, Double-A Jacksonville got off to a sluggish start to the season. Thankfully, their star talent is finally taking over, leading the Jumbo Shrimp to a 4-1 record in their past five games.

Harrison and Diaz combined to go 7-for-10 on Thursday, including one home run apiece. Both entered 2018 as consensus top-10 prospects in the Marlins organization, with Harrison poised to inherit Lewis Brinson’s No. 1 spot when the latter ages out of prospect eligibility in the coming days.

Manager Randy Ready never deviated from his patient approach, even when they were struggling to make contact:

“I think they’re just getting the repetitions, starting to settle in at the Double-A level. It’s the first time for them, and it’s going to take a little time. That holds true for a lot of our guys on this club, and that’s why we always talk about it’s not how you start, it’s how you finish. We’re big believers in that. Let these kids get their feet wet and get going.”

The estimated MLB arrival for both players is 2019, but they could force some tough decisions by maintaining their hot streaks.

Latest on mending veterans

Nothing new to share on Dan Straily (right forearm strain), but there’s an assumption he’ll make his first start for the Marlins on this homestand.

Joe Frisaro of MLB.com has the rundown on the rest:

• Martin Prado (left hamstring strain) played seven innings with High-A Jupiter on Wednesday before sitting out Thursday’s game. Next time the 34-year-old takes the field, he expects it to be with the major league Marlins. On his rehab assignment, Prado has batted .273/.429/.364 in four games, spending all 25 defensive innings at third base.
• Wei-Yin Chen (left elbow strain) will be activated on Saturday for his 2018 MLB debut against the Rockies. He also rehabbed exclusively with Jupiter, posting a 1.17 earned run average and 11-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio over 7 ²⁄₃ innings.
• Meanwhile, JT Riddle (right shoulder tendinitis) will tag along with Harrison and Diaz in Jacksonville to ramp up his rehab. He already played two games with Jupiter (.619 OPS) and has another couple weeks remaining on his assignment before the club needs to decides whether to formally recall or option him.

Superstar stuff

Tayron Guerrero doesn’t have great overall results so far this season (5.11 ERA, 2.67 K/BB, 1.70 WHIP), but all the ingredients of a dominant reliever are there. In his Fish Stripes debut, contributor Colby Olson gets you excited for the tall right-hander.

Tyler Kinley coming home?

It raised some eyebrows when the Twins selected Kinley from the Marlins farm system via the Rule 5 draft last December. If he had legitimate major league talent, wouldn’t he have been protected on the 40-man roster?

Well, the experiment didn’t last long: the 27-year-old was designated for assignment after just four MLB appearances (24.30 ERA). The Fish can get him back if he clears waivers.

Evolving our roster evolution feature

With those inevitable transactions mentioned above, I’ll have another update to the 2018 roster tracker. Even better, it will be the debut of a new table format that should be much easier on your eyes and brain.

The link stays the same, so I recommend you bookmark this.

Passing grades

Marlin Maniac gives credit where credit is due to the players responsible for the club’s first series win of 2018.