Miami Marlins Calling Up Pitcher From Sean Murphy Deal

Former Atlanta Braves prospect Freddy Tarnok is set to return to the big leagues, this time as a member of the Miami Marlins. MLB Trade Rumors' Steve Adams is reporting that the team is set to call up Tarnok and add him to the 40-man roster.

Tarnok was originally a third-round pick of the Braves back in the 2017 MLB Draft, and he made his MLB debut in 2022, tossing a scoreless 2/3 of an inning with Atlanta. He was a piece of the Sean Murphy trade with the Oakland Athletics that off-season, and started off the year on the IL with a strained right shoulder.

He'd see limited time with the A's, making five appearances (one start) and holding a 4.91 ERA across 14 2/3 innings of work. It was at that point that he landed back on the IL with a right calf strain, and that would end his 2023 campaign.

In 2024, it was right hip inflammation that delayed the start to his season, and after posting a 13.50 ERA in 7 1/3 innings spanning six games on his rehab stint, Tarnok was designated for assignment and claimed by the Philadelphia Phillies. He'd spend the rest of his season in the Phillies' organization, primarily in Triple-A with the Lehigh Valley IronPigs where he posted a 6.33 ERA in 21 1/3 innings.

While the results weren't necessarily there for Tarnok, he did recover his knack for collecting strikeouts in the Philadelphia farm system, sitting at 27.7%. In the minors with the A's, that rate hadn't cracked 20%, and bottomed out at 13.9% in 2023.

After the '24 campaign, Tarnok elected minor-league free agency, and in January of this year he found a landing spot with the Miami Marlins. He's spent the season down in Triple-A thus far, but he has avoided the injured list while keeping his strikeout rate up, and also dropping his walk rate to a more manageable 10.3%.

Now 26, Tarnok is seemingly getting a chance in the big leagues after seasons of battling injuries. He's 2-2 on the year and has posted a 4.79 ERA in 41 1/3 innings, but his WHIP has been a decent 1.28, and he went a scoreless five innings, allowing just two hits his last time out.

The 6-foot-4 righty has made 12 appearances for the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp this season, and ten of those have been starts. The two that weren't actually saw him go three innings and 4 2/3, giving up a total of five hits and two earned runs between the pair of bulk reliever outings.

The Marlins are currently rolling with a four-man rotation, so he could be added to that mix, or he could be seen as a fresh arm that can eat up some innings after Miami used five different relievers out of the bullpen on Saturday.

One of those five pitchers was Janson Junk, who was also, briefly, a member of the Athletics roster last season. He made one appearance for the A's, facing eight batters and not recording a single out. He allowed six hits and two walks, while seven runs crossed the plate. He ended his time with the A's with the dreaded infinite ERA.

On Saturday, he went 5 2/3 scoreless innings against the reeling Washington Nationals, giving up just two hits and striking out four.