Jordan Groshans’ first week with Marlins, a Eury Perez update and more from the minors

Jordan Groshans swung at the first pitch he saw on Wednesday in his debut with the Triple A Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp, lacing the offering into right-center field for a line-drive single.

It’s an immediate example — albeit a glimpse — of what the Miami Marlins organization hoped Groshans could offer them when they acquired him Tuesday from the Toronto Blue Jays for relievers Anthony Bass and Zach Pop.

“We’ve had our eye on him for a while now, and we thought it was a good move,” Marlins general manager Kim Ng said. “This is a guy who’s got a pretty good bat, a line-drive, gap-to-gap hitter. It’s something as you look out in our years, we’re going to need some infielders, so thought he was a good one to add to the mix.”

That last line from Ng is the important one. The Marlins have 17 position players, including Groshans, among their top-30 prospects according to MLB Pipeline and had 20 prior to the trade by Baseball America’s midseason rankings. Groshans is the only infielder prospect in Triple A among that group. Miami has two non-first baseman infielders who are ranked — Nasim Nunez (No. 18 by MLB Pipeline, No. 21 by Baseball America) and Jose Devers (No. 20 by Baseball America) — at Double A Pensacola.

Groshans, currently tabbed as a shortstop but potentially will have to move to third base in the future, gives the Marlins a highly touted infielder who is close to big league ready should a move be needed.

With that said, a jump to the big leagues isn’t expected right away. Ng said she wants Groshans to get more playing time in the minors and for the organization’s coaches to get a better look at him up close before making a decision.

In his first five games with the Marlins, he went 4 for 18 (.222) with one double, one RBI, two runs and four walks against four strikeouts. Groshans was hitting .250 with eight doubles, one home run, 24 RBI and 30 runs scored for Toronto’s Triple A afiiliate prior to the trade.

“It was a move that addresses our future,” Ng said.

Eury Perez to minor-league IL

Eury Perez, the top prospect in Miami’s system and the No. 8 overall prospect in baseball according to Baseball America and No. 14 by MLB Pipeline rankings, was placed on the minor-league injured list Saturday due to a minor shoulder injury.

The move has been deemed precautionary.

Perez pitched just 1 1/3 innings in his latest start on Friday, giving up six earned runs on four hits (including two home runs) and four walks while recording just one strikeout. Five of the six runs came in the second inning, when Perez allowed three walks, a single, a sacrifice fly and a three-run home run before being removed.

The 19-year-old right-handed pitcher now has a 4.19 ERA over 16 starts, all with the Double A Pensacola Blue Wahoos, in his second season of professional baseball. He has 102 strikeouts against 21 walks over 73 innings, and opponents are hitting .228 against him. The Marlins have remained cautious with the 19-year-old Perez, who has pitched beyond five innings just four times this season and has not thrown more than 88 pitches in a start.

This and that

▪ Catcher/designated hitter Bennett Hostetler had a 12-game hit streak before going 0 for 4 on Sunday. In that stretch that ran from July 17 through Saturday, Hostetler had a .391 average (18 for 46) with one double, one triple, three home runs, 13 RBI, 10 runs scored, 1.084 OPS. He recorded multiple hits in five of the 12 games, including a three-hit outing on Tuesday.

▪ Outfielder Victor Victor Mesa hit .278 (5 for 18) with two RBI in his first week with Triple A Jacksonville. This included at least one hit in four of six games.

▪ Right-handed pitcher Bryan Hoeing pitched his eighth quality start of the season on Wednesday when he threw six innings of three-run ball for Triple A Jacksonville. He scattered seven hits and walked three in the outing while striking out two.

▪ Since the start of July, left-handed pitcher Dax Fulton has pitched to a 3.23 ERA with 40 strikeouts in 30 2/3 innings for Beloit over six starts. The 20-year-old has pitched at least five innings while allowing no more than three earned runs in four of those six outings. He has not allowed a home run in this stretch either.

▪ First baseman Torin Montgomery, Miami’s 14th-round pick in the 2022 MLB Draft, hit .316 (6 for 19) with three RBI and six runs scored in his first full week with the Single A Jupiter Hammerheads.