With four starting pitchers sidelined due to injury, the Miami Marlins will turn to rookie right-hander Connor Gillispie as they host the Pittsburgh Pirates again on Friday night.
Miami opened the season with a dramatic 5-4 walk-off victory on Thursday. Now, Gillispie, 27, will make his first major league start.
A former VCU standout, Gillispie was selected in the ninth round of the 2019 MLB Draft by Baltimore. The Cleveland Guardians later picked him up in the 2023 Rule 5 Draft, and he posted a 2.25 ERA in three relief outings last season, striking out eight and walking five over eight innings. The Marlins signed him two months ago, and with Eury Pérez, Edward Cabrera, Ryan Weathers, and Braxton Garrett all on the injured list, he now gets his opportunity.
Weathers and Cabrera are expected back in April, while Pérez is targeting a mid-July return. Garrett is out for the season.
Miami is also dealing with injuries to key position players, as right fielder Jesús Sánchez and third baseman Connor Norby are expected to miss about a month. Right-handed reliever Declan Cronin is also sidelined for the same timeframe, and lefty Andrew Nardi was placed on the 60-day IL on March 15.
Despite these setbacks—and carrying the lowest payroll in the majors at $67.9 million—the Marlins are off to a promising start.
On Opening Day, Miami trailed 4-2 in the eighth inning before staging a comeback. In the ninth, Nick Fortes tripled off the wall, setting up Kyle Stowers for a walk-off single that secured the win and gave manager Clayton McCullough his first MLB victory.
“We’re a bunch of fighters,” Fortes said. “I know a lot of people have written our team off, but we don’t believe that. We know we have a lot of talent, and we’re going to play hard every night.”
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