Marlins' Pete Fairbanks to undergo thoracic outlet surgery

Marlins closer Pete Fairbanks will undergo surgery to address thoracic outlet syndrome, the team informed reporters (via Christina De Nicola of MLB.com). Setup man Anthony Bender will also undergo surgery on the stress reaction in his right shin.

Fairbanks has had three injured list stints this year related to nerve issues. The most recent came on Tuesday, recurring in his second appearance back after the same issue sidelined him from August 25 to September 9. It’s something Fairbanks has managed throughout his career, as he also had multiple nerve-related IL stints while with Tampa Bay. Those had been traced to Raynaud’s syndrome, a condition that reduces blood flow to his fingers and leads to numbness.

The trio of injured list placements this year unfortunately left no alternative for Fairbanks but to go under the knife. It’s not clear if he’s expected to be ready for the start of the 2027 season. Pitchers have varying timetables in their returns from TOS, as there are multiple variations of the procedure. In general, the operation is designed to reduce pressure on the nerves and blood vessels in a player’s upper arm.

Fairbanks was Miami’s biggest free agent acquisition last winter. His $13MM deal accounted for more than half the $20.5MM they guaranteed to four players on one-year contracts. The other three signees — Chris Paddack, Christopher Morel, and John King — all got released.

The Fairbanks deal also didn’t go as hoped, as he struggled to a 6.31 earned run average across 41 1/3 innings. He allowed home runs at a career-high rate of 1.74 per nine innings. Fairbanks struggled early in the season, and while he went on an excellent run in early August, he allowed runs in four of his final five appearances.

Fairbanks will return to free agency and turns 33 in December. He’ll likely be limited to one year but should be able to command another big league deal, perhaps an incentive-laden one. Fairbanks still has plus velocity (97.3 mph average fastball) and struck out more than 31% of opposing hitters this year. He had a six-year run as a quality high-leverage reliever with Tampa Bay between 2020-25. He should be a popular reclamation target but might need to pitch his way back into the ninth inning with a new team.

Miami’s bullpen punched above its weight for the first couple months but has folded in the second half, ranking 23rd in ERA since the All-Star Break. They should get a boost with 2025 breakout Ronny Henriquez returning from UCL surgery but will need multiple additions from outside the organization. They have a few power arms who’ll be back (e.g. Michael Petersen, Josh Ekness, Victor Vodnik) but not a ton of late-game experience aside from Calvin Faucher.

Bender should also be back, assuming the Marlins expect him to be healthy in 2027. He’s eligible for arbitration once more and will earn a modest raise on a $2.81MM salary. The 31-year-old righty tossed 34 1/3 innings of 2.62 ERA ball with a 29% strikeout rate this year.