Max

Meyer

Meyer left with a 2-1 lead in the sixth, but Jordan Walker came around to score from first off Calvin Faucher, ruining his chances of getting a win. It was still a good day for Meyer, who allowed just two hard-hit balls to the 23 batters he faced. The eight strikeouts tied for his second highest total ever. He fanned 14 against the Reds almost exactly a year ago on Apr. 21, 2025, but he’s never topped eight otherwise. He’ll likely face the Giants on Sunday.

Meyer’s swing-and-miss stuff was readily apparent, as he generated 14 whiffs on 82 pitches while striking out five. It was still just a so-so start — at least in terms of run prevention, which is pretty important, we suppose — as he gave up a run in the second and two more in the third. Meyer flashes brilliance often, but fantasy managers are still waiting for him to put it together for more than a few outings. The Cardinals are next.

Meyer was able to work out of a few jams with runners on despite the elevated walk rate, and allowed just three hard-hit balls. He hasn’t quite put it all together in the way that we saw in early 2025 yet, but a 3.68 ERA and 15 strikeouts in 14.2 innings pitched over his first three starts is certainly stream-worthy at the very least. Seven of his nine whiffs came against the slider. His next start figures to come against the Braves.

Meyer had a 13 percent swinging strike rate but a 35 percent CSW on the day. His slider was tremendous, posting a 24 percent swinging strike rate, and he got plenty of called strikes with his four-seam fastball, but he also had just a 58 percent strike rate overall. You’d love to see better command, but the stuff is there for Meyer to be an asset in fantasy leagues. He could be started in deeper formats for his start next week at home against the Reds.

All three runs allowed by Meyer came on a a double by Jordan Beck with the bases loaded. He was able to still have a solid — if unspectacular — outing with five strikeouts while generating 13 swings and misses before exiting. Meyer will look to get off to a better literal start when he gets back on the bump when he faces the Yankees in New York next weekend.

Junk beat out Braxton Garrett for the final spot and will pitch the fifth game of the season on Tuesday, March 31 against the White Sox. Sandy Alcantara, Eury Perez, Max Meyer and Chris Paddack will pitch in the first four games for the Marlins.

Meyer suffered a relatively minor hamstring bruise during his last throwing session, which led to him being scratched from Tuesday’s scheduled Grapefruit League outing. The 27-year-old former top prospect has shown flashes of massive fantasy potential but he’s been hit-or-miss from a results standpoint at the highest level. He’s a worthwhile zero-risk, late-round flyer in shallow mixed leagues on the chance that he’s finally unlocked something.

Meyer’s slider today got him three strikeouts and a weak grounder the one time it was put into play. Meyer has a 12/1 K/BB and has yet to allow a run in seven innings this spring, so he’s probably going to start moving up draft boards. In part due to injuries, Meyer, who turns 27 on Thursday, still hasn’t converted his plus stuff into any real major league success, having posted a 5.29 ERA in 25 starts to date, and Miami isn’t a great situation for pitchers. Still, there’s the chance of some modest mixed-league value here.

Meyer scattered two hits on the night and didn’t allow a base on balls. Both of the hits that he allowed in the contest were singles and the Mets never mounted a serious scoring threat against him. The 26-year-old right-hander generated five whiffs on 39 pitches on the night — three of those on his slider — while posting a strong CSW of 33 percent. He has been terrific through his first two appearances this spring, posting a 0.50 WHIP and a 6/0 K/BB ratio over his first four innings of work. He’s locked into a spot in the Miami’s rotation and makes for an intriguing fantasy option in the endgame stages of drafts.

Meyer threw just 11 pitches in his first outing since undergoing hip surgery last year. His rotation status with the Marlins should be secure after the team traded Edward Cabrera and Ryan Weathers, and there’s chance he could finally breakthrough if he stays healthy in his age-27 season.