May 8: The Marlins officially announced Snelling’s selection to the major league roster. He will start tonight’s game. Miami designated righty Stephen Jones for the corresponding assignment.
May 6: The Marlins are calling candidates Robby Snelling. He will be selected from the roster and will start on Friday against the Nationals. They have an open position for 40 men after the appointment Chris Paddack by assignment earlier this week, so they will only need to open up an active roster spot for him. Manager Clayton McCullough announced the news to reporters, including Daniel Álvarez-Montes of El Extra Base.
Snelling’s promotion has been expected since not long after Paddack’s DFA. He and his partner lefty Braxton Garrett were possibilities to take the ball Friday in place of Paddack, but Garrett threw 80 pitches in Triple-A Jacksonville’s start last night, strongly indicating that Friday will be Snelling’s big league debut. The party has made that official.
Selected by the Padres with the No. 39 pick back in 2022, Snelling went to the Marlins organization as part of the return in the trade deadline for shortstops. Tanner Scott again Bryan Hoeing to San Diego. His stock was a bit low at the time of the trade, but he has rebounded well with the Marlins organization — so much so that Baseball America ranked him 26th in today’s update of the top 100 hitters.
The 22-year-old Snelling has been excellent this year in six Triple-A starts, posting a 1.86 ERA and a whopping 40% strikeout rate – albeit against a 13.6% walk rate. He kept 57% of his ground balls. Snelling also lit up in 11 Triple-A starts last year (1.27 ERA — 2.51 overall ERA between Double-A and Triple-A). At this point, he seems more than ready to make an appearance in the majors, even with lower command.
Snelling, listed at 6’3″ and 210 pounds, works primarily on a four-seam fastball that averages just over 94 mph and a curveball that sits at 82-83 mph. He mixes in the occasional changeup and slider, but the four-seamer/curveball combination has landed over 80% of his pitches in 2026. Snelling’s four-seamer and curveball both drew combined grades (60) in BA’s scouting report, while his little machine used above changed and the 5ader 5) 20-80 scale. He’ll need to control his command, but it’s not hard to see why the Marlins are eager to watch the 22-year-old southpaw with four above-average pitches and a sub-2.00 ERA in 18 Triple-A starts.
Since Snelling opened the season in the minors and was not called up until early May, he will not be eligible for the Marlins to receive another draft pick under MLB’s prospect promotion incentive (PPI) program. Enough time has passed this season that the only way he can accumulate a full year of major league service would be to finish first or second in the National League Rookie of the Year voting. Snelling certainly has the pedigree to do so, but new elites like it Nolan McLean, JJ Wetherholt again Sal Stewart they all started well for him in this race.
Despite finishing as the top Rookie of the Year, Snelling will remain under club control for at least six years after the 2026 campaign. If he sticks in the majors this far, he’ll be a surefire Super Two player, making him eligible for arbitration four terms (starting after the 2028 season) instead of three.
With Paddack on his way out the door, there’s a long-term open Miami twist. This is calculated to be more than just a simple start. Snelling should have a clear runway to prove he can be a building block in the rotation. Partner three times Thomas Whiteranked 11th on the aforementioned Baseball America top-100 list, should get a chance to join him at some point this year.
Only Miami Sandy Alcantara signed through the 2027 season, but the attraction of a rotation that includes Alcantara, Snelling, White, Eury Pérez again Max Meyer — and Garrett as well Janson Junk and in mixing – easily seen. Even if the Fish eventually trade Alcantara this summer, the starting staff has several high-profile pieces that could be the core of a pitching staff … if the Marlins can find a way to put together a decent offense. Only twice in the last two decades have the Marlins put together an offense that was better than league average, in terms of wRC+. The 2007 and 2017 Marlins both posted collective wRC+ marks of 101, indicating they were 1% better than average. They average exactly (100) so far in 2026.
