Marlins Recall Joe Mack For MLB Debut, Option Agustin Ramirez
May 4th, 2026 at 10:41am CST • By Mark PolishukMay 4: Miami has formally announced both moves. Mack has been recalled from Jacksonville, and Ramirez has been optioned there in his place.
May 3: The Marlins will promote top catching prospect Joe Mack prior to tomorrow’s game with the Phillies, SportsGrid’s Craig Mish reports. Agustin Ramirez will be optioned to Triple-A in the corresponding 26-man roster move, and Mack is already on Miami’s 40-man roster.
Mack was the 31st overall pick of the 2021 draft, and after steadily working his way up the Marlins’ minor league ladder, the 23-year-old is now on the cusp of his Major League debut. Baseball America ranks Mack as the 50th-best prospect in the sport, and pundits like The Athletic’s Keith Law (52nd), MLB Pipeline (54th) and ESPN.com (61st) also have Mack listed within their top-100 rankings.
The consensus is that Mack is ready for the big leagues on defense alone, as he has received praise for his framing, blocking, and strong throwing arm. There have been fewer questions about his ability to hit since Mack bounced back from a poor 2023 season to post much better numbers across the last three minor league campaigns, and he has hit .249/.334/.444 with 21 home runs over 515 plate appearances with Triple-A Jacksonville.
Mack’s approach is a little all-or-nothing since he is primarily looking to pull the ball in the air, but even if this leads to his share of strikeouts, Mack has enough power to capitalize when he does make contact. Over 103 PA in Jacksonville this season, Mack’s walk rate has shot up to 19.4% (from 8.5% in 412 Triple-A PA in 2025) and he has reduced his strikeout rate from 27.9% to 21.4%.
It was seen as just a matter of time before Mack got the call to the Show, even if the Marlins opted against including Mack on their Opening Day roster. Miami continued with the catching tandem of Ramirez and Liam Hicks, and Hicks has broken out to hit .309/.366/.557 with seven homers over 112 PA while splitting time between catcher, first base, and DH.
Ramirez, however, is hitting .230/.318/.345 with two home runs over 129 PA, making him the odd man out of the catching picture. Ramirez went yard 21 times in 2025 while batting .231/.287/.413 in 585 PA, but his dropoff in power has taken away his most potent offensive weapon. Since Ramirez is also arguably the worst defensive catcher in baseball, there wasn’t much of a case to continue giving him at-bats while Mack was ready to go at Triple-A, as MLBTR’s Darragh McDonald argued earlier this week.
Since Hicks is also nothing special in terms of glovework, putting Mack behind the plate should have an immediate impact on the Marlins from a defensive standpoint. While obviously the hope is that Mack can adjust quickly as a big league hitter, producing even average offense in his first looks at MLB pitching would be a bonus along with the ripple effect that Mack’s defense brings to Miami’s run-prevention efforts.
Because Mack is only coming up to the majors now, the Marlins wouldn’t earn a bonus draft pick via the Prospect Promotion Incentive if he wins NL Rookie of the Year (or has a top-three MVP finish before he is eligible for arbitration). However, Mack himself would earn a full year of big league service time if he does manage a top-two ROY finish, and he is currently on pace to achieve Super Two status and an extra year of salary arbitration eligibility if he remains on Miami’s active roster.
If they promote Pitcher, MYER, then Mack & Myer will play for audiences once again.
And I thought I was old til I saw this post 🙂
Which Meyer if I remember right they have 2 good ones in the org
Oscar the truck driver?
Austin Ramirez reminds me so much of Jorge Alfaro. Raw power, swings at everything.
Agustin is like that as well.
The “gust” blew OP off course.
Doesn’t afraid of anything.
No he doesn’t!
I always compare him to Wilin Rosario. He was a masher, but the Rockies actually had to move the backstop behind home plate in about 10 feet because he let so many go back there.
He’s gonna make you JUMP JUMP
Or at the very least, warm it up.
I missed the bus, is what some people who don’t get this reference might say.
He hasn’t spent enough time with the staff to be aware of their nuances. Things could go wrong and I’m on record as saying it’s a mistake
Did you read the part how Agustin Ramirez is the worst defensive catcher in baseball? Things have already “gone wrong” with him behind the plate. If only MLB had a training camp before the season started where Joe Mack would have been able to catch current Marlins pitchers (many who have appeared at AAA this season).
You are also on record saying a White Castle burger is the pinnacle of human achievement in cooking so your judgement is a tad questionable
Return of the Mack. Keep on truckin’.
Yuck, at least make him the DH over MOREL and give him the occasional start back there and begin more 1st base work.
I think that’s the plan once he finds his power back at AAA.
A Mack-Book
Finally the nightmare is over. There will finally be a quality catcher behind the plate for the Marlins. Hicks may have his shortcomings, but his bat makes him an excellent offensive catcher.
Even if Mack’s hitting is as bad as Ramirez has been, this is a huge upgrade for the club
it’s the return of the Mack
I’ve found their use of C, 1B and DH the last two seasons to be interesting to follow. Seems to be a manner other teams have also been using more frequently with rosters locked in at 13 position players and 13 pitchers.
Looks like Ramirez is going to learn 1st/DH now
He is like Willson Contreras but with no defense and bad discipline
Guess deyvision de los Santos is cooked
is he the Mack daddy or the daddy Mack?
The whole situation is wiggity wiggity wiggity whack.
That’s Agustin’s walk up music.
I had the biggest crush on his sister, Alex, when I was younger. She was beautiful. Sometimes she would turn into this weird goop puddle thing, but I didn’t care.
Yes, that line forms on the right, babe.
When’s Chris Paddack going to get the hook?
Dudes a free Bp session for opposing teams
I believe McCullough already stated Paddack would make his next start. I don’t get it, dude sucks! Garrett or Snelling have to be ready by now.
Crazy man, Clayton and Bendix and the mouth breathing crew drive me nuts sometimes.
Garrett is giving up 2H/9 right now in AAA yet we have a guy with an ERA North of 7 starting every fifth day. It’s an insult to the fan base at this point. I’m sorry but there’s no participation trophies in the big leagues, if you don’t do your job well enough you get dropped plain and simple
They’ll be sure to hold Snelling down in the minors as long as possible. Because that’s what these teams do. Keep the talent down in AAA and let Padlock serve up BP.
His brother, Jimmy, will certainly be pleased.
Depends if hurries back or not.
I can’t believe the Marlins optioned AgRam.
Hicks can play 1B. Sanoja starting everyday at 3rd.
Norby is a good option for a utility IF. He can backup Sanoja at 3B, Edwards at 2B and Hicks at 1B. Mack starting everyday at C with Ramirez as DH / backup C.
Marlins have to get Hicks to 1B and they need Ramirez back up when they do.
Ruiz is ready and looks good at the top of the lineup. He has a good eye, has proven it AAA posting 17.9K% to 13.0BB% in 485 PA’s. Ruiz runs as good as anybody in the league and has some power in his game too. 2HR in 14 PAs this season.
Ruiz (LF)
Edwards (2B)
Stowers (RF)
Hicks (1B)
Ramirez (DH)
Lopez (SS)
Sanoja (3B)
Marsee (CF)
Mack (C)
That looks like a nice lineup. They have some work to do in getting the bench set. Norby and Morel are both good options as utility players with power. Another good defensive catcher that can hit homers fits well.
Both Owen Caissie (.207/.248/.337 / 42.6K% to 5.0BB%) and
Graham Pauley (.186/.230/.314 / 25.3K% to 5.3BB%) should be demoted until they start hitting.
Ramirez is needed at DH and if he isnt hitting, Marlins should give De Los Santos another look.
Connie Mack (.244 MLB) > Joe Mack (.239 MILB)?