Joe Mack hits 14th homer in win over Braves

Mack is back handling the catching duties and hitting eighth following a three-game absence due to right shoulder soreness. The 23-year-old defensive wizard will likely have to manage the issue over the final five-plus weeks of the season, but he doesn’t appear to be headed to the injured list any time soon.

Mack takes a seat for the third consecutive contest due to lingering right shoulder soreness. His prolonged absence doesn’t come as a surprised based on comments from Marlins skipper Clayton McCullough earlier this week that he would need a couple days off to address the issue. It’ll be Brian Navarreto continuing to handle the catching duties with Agustin Ramírez at DH.

Marlins manager Clayton McCullough indicated that Mack is probably going to need a couple days off to rest and recover. It doesn’t sound like there’s a high level of concern that he’ll require a trip to the injured list. It’ll be Brian Navaretto handling the catching duties for the second straight game with Agustin Ramírez at DH. The 23-year-old defensive specialist has hit .240 with 12 homers in 243 plate appearances since arriving in the big leagues back in early May.

It’s become a lot less challenging to forecast Ramírez from a playing time standpoint after Miami jettisoned Liam Hicks at the trade deadline. The 24-year-old has zero shot at reclaiming the starting catcher role given his defensive shortcomings, especially now that defensive wizard Joe Mack is firmly entrenched in the role. However, he figures to see enough time between first base and DH to matter for fantasy purposes. There have never really been a ton of questions regarding his offensive ability and having less competition for at-bats should help Ramírez tremendously.

Brayden Taylor is one of three prospects Miami is getting back, says Will Sammon. The New York Post’s Joel Sherman says Adrian Santana and Jacob Kisting are the other two. The Marlins didn’t have a dire need for Hicks as a catcher following Joe Mack’s emergence, so this makes a ton of sense. The Rays will probably send down fellow left-handed-hitting catcher Hunter Feduccia and keep Nick Fortes as Hicks’ backup. The Marlins could recall Agustín Ramírez to DH and play behind Mack.

Mack is up to 11 homers in 67 games as a major leaguer. More surprising, though, is his .245 batting average. Known for his defense and for having decent pop, he batted just .239 in his six minor league seasons, and most actually find it more difficult to hit in the majors than in the minors.

Mack continues to show glimpses of his power since being promoted to the majors, and that’s his seventh homer of the campaign since being promoted near the beginning of May. He’s also done a solid job behind the plate, and the 23-year-old has given no reason to believe he won’t be the long-term answer behind the plate for the Marlins, with all due respect to Agustin Ramirez.

Mack took John Brebbia deep for a two-run blast in the seventh inning, capping off a red-hot June in which he slugged all five of his homers while hitting .294. The 23-year-old backstop is hitting .250/.308/.402 with 21 runs scored and 21 RBI across 145 plate appearances.

Mack’s home run was his fourth of the season. He hit a solo shot off Jose Corniell in the fourth inning. Mack is 17-for-52 (.327) with four home runs and 12 RBI in 17 games so far in June. The former 2021 first-round pick is running with the opportunity after a midseason call up.

Mack has been on fire in June, entering Wednesday with an OBP over .400. All three of his big-league homers have come this month. His defense has been as advertised too, significantly reducing the number of stolen bases the team was giving up with Agustín Ramírez behind the plate. Mack looks like the Marlins’ catcher of the present and future. It wouldn’t be surprising to see him move up from the bottom third of the order against righties soon.