Marlins promote top prospect as struggling former All-Star heads to IL

The Marlins have called up infielder Jacob Amaya from Triple-A, according to the Miami Herald’s Jordan McPherson. The 24-year-old Amaya will be making his major league debut whenever he first takes the field, which could be as early as Saturday’s game against the Nationals.

Jean Segura has been placed on the 10-day injured list due to a left hamstring strain, per McPherson. This opens up the roster spot for Amaya’s promotion.

Amaya was acquired from the Dodgers in January in the straight-up trade that saw Miguel Rojas sent to Los Angeles. In essence, the Marlins dealt Rojas for a younger player with a similar glove-first profile. Scouts have been mixed at best on Amaya’s hitting ability during his six minor league seasons, but his numbers have been solid (.278/.346/.472 with nine homers) over 240 plate appearances with Triple-A Jacksonville in 2023.

MLB Pipeline ranks Amaya as the ninth-best prospect in Miami’s farm system, with Baseball America ranking him 13th. Both outlets give him a 60 grade for his defense, and Amaya’s floor seems to be a steady career as a utility player who can provide strong glove work at any infield position. His ability to hit will determine whether or not Amaya can become a true starter, and both Pipeline and BA note that Amaya is more productive at the plate when he is aiming for contact rather than power. Amaya also has a 9.2% walk rate at Triple-A this season, which is well below the 14.28% combined walk rate he posted at Double-A and Triple-A in 2022.

Despite these bat-related question marks, the Marlins might view any offense Amaya provides as a bonus, given how badly the team could use some defensive help. FanGraphs’ DEF (defensive runs above average) metric ranks Miami 30th of 30 clubs this season, with a collective -13.2 figure.

Joey Wendle and Jon Berti are good defenders in their own right, but with Amaya taking up at least semi-regular duty at shortstop, Wendle and Berti could return to their usual utilityman duties around the diamond. The Marlins may not want to interrupt Luis Arraez’s routine given his incredible run at the plate, but Arraez could see more time at first base rather than his usual spot at second base, considering his middling defensive numbers at the keystone.

Segura missed Friday’s game due to the hamstring issue, and while the injury isn’t though to be serious, the Marlins still put Segura on the 10-day IL both for precautionary reasons, and perhaps as a bigger-picture reset for Segura’s 2023 season.

Signed to a two-year, $17M free-agent deal last winter, Segura’s first season in Miami has been nothing short of a disaster. The veteran has the worst fWAR (-1.1) of any player in baseball, as Segura has hit only .190/.259/.234 over 225 PA while providing subpar defense at third base. MLBTR’s Anthony Franco recently wrote about how the Marlins should be targeting infield help if they want to remain in the race for a playoff berth, and it could be that the Fish will first give Amaya a look before considering if a bigger upgrade is needed at the trade deadline.