Miami Marlins pitching prospect Robby Snelling, injured after his major league debut, will undergo season-ending Tommy John surgery to repair the ulnar collateral ligament in his left elbow, the team said Thursday.
Snelling, the team's No. 2 prospect, pitched five solid innings in his debut on May 8 -- a loss to Washington. He then reported discomfort in the elbow after a bullpen session, was diagnosed with a UCL sprain and is now on the 60-day injured list.
He visited with Dr. Keith Meister on Thursday and made the decision to have the reconstructive surgery.
A recovery timeline will be given following Friday's surgery.
"Disappointing for him and us," manager Clayton McCullough said. "That's an unfortunate part of our industry. Guys go down. We just keep going, and Robby will come back from this a stronger person."
McCullough said the Marlins will try different pitchers to fill the fifth spot in the rotation, mentioning Braxton Garrett, who was optioned to Triple-A Jacksonville on Wednesday, and Tyler Phillips, who has allowed four earned runs with 27 strikeouts in 30 relief innings this season.
"We have some others in Jacksonville that have thrown the ball well and [can] potentially get that opportunity," McCullough said. "We have ways here with the group we have that we can cover those games. So I think that we'll just continue to kick the tires on what we think is best. And guys will have chances to step into that spot and have a chance to perform here."
Miami acquired the 22-year-old Snelling from San Diego for reliever Tanner Scott in July 2024.
In other roster moves, the Marlins placed infielder Leo Jimenez on the seven-day concussion injured list and recalled infielder Graham Pauley from Triple-A Jacksonville.
Miami also made a trade Thursday, acquiring outfielder Rece Hinds from the Cincinnati Reds in exchange for minor-league pitcher Zach McCambley.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
