Thursday, July 03

Marlins left-hander Braxton Garrett had been counting down the days.

Garrett knew the wait to begin throwing again wouldn’t be much longer once Dr. Keith Meister, who performed his Tommy John surgery on Dec. 16, 2024, had cleared him.

That day finally arrived on June 16 at loanDepot park. Garrett made 25 throws from a maximum distance of 60 feet. The plan is to do that three times per week for at least the next month, and then inch up from there.

“I've been joking I felt like I've been like a professional weightlifter,” Garrett said. “All I get to do is work out, and it's nice to go out there and throw the ball, hit him in the chest a couple times. [It] took a few throws, but it felt good to feel like a baseball player.”

Garrett’s throwing partner was Max Meyer, who recently learned he will need to undergo season-ending left labral hip repair surgery after his hip wasn’t improving while rehabbing.

“The first one I kind of let go,” Garrett said of the catch session. “I was like, ‘Ooh.’ That was a little faster than I expected one of my throws to be, which wasn't a bad thing. It felt good. It came out good. Hit him in the chest. So it was one of those where it's like, ‘Oh, I didn't know I could do that just yet.’ So it felt good. I've had a bunch of cuff throws and stuff, so it's not my first throwing motion, but having it, letting it go, it was the first time.”

The 27-year-old Garrett’s arm troubles first arose when arriving to 2024 Spring Training with general shoulder soreness. He began that season on the injured list with a left shoulder impingement, then experienced “dead arm” during a between-starts bullpen session while on rehab assignment in mid-April. Garrett would go on to make seven Major League starts before being scratched from his June 23 outing due to left elbow discomfort after a pre-start bullpen session.

While attempting to return for the 2024 home series finale, Garrett felt something in his elbow and remained sidelined with a left forearm flexor strain. Over the offseason, a second opinion on his arm revealed a left elbow impingement. His throwing program was halted for good in December to undergo a left elbow UCL revision surgery with an internal brace.

Similar to Sandy Alcantara (October 2023) and unlike Eury Pérez (April ‘24), Garrett knew he wouldn’t be able to return for the upcoming season. Instead, he gets more time to recover and be ready for ‘26 Spring Training.

“The silver lining in the timing of my surgery was it's a year from the date you're on the mound, ready to pitch, and that'll be mid-December for me, so I get two extra months really to rehab it,” Garrett said. “I want to go fast, but I also know I'm not going to be back this year, so I can take my time early, really make sure we feel good and progress comfortably.

“It's been six months. The first four really flew by. It was kind of good timing, having all these guys around. Within the last month, month and a half, time felt like it stood still. But I'm glad I made it, that's for sure.”

Garrett, who also underwent the procedure as the organization's then-top-ranked prospect in June 2017, is no stranger to the patience and work it takes during the long rehab process.

“It's been better this time, just being in the Major Leagues makes it a lot easier,” Garrett said. “We have one of the best training staffs. I think our PT, Mike [Chamberlain], has been great with me. He's been super easy to work with. Just having a few more resources than I did the first time.”

The Marlins visited Alcatraz, also known as "The Rock," a famous island and landmark in the San Francisco Bay, during Monday’s off-day.

Over the weekend, Triple-A Jacksonville clinched a postseason berth for the first time since 2017, when the Jumbo Shrimp were members of the Double-A Southern League. The Double-A Suns won Southern League titles as a Marlins affiliate in 2009, '10 and '14.

As International League first-half champions, the Jumbo Shrimp will have home-field advantage for the best-of-three IL Championship Series in late September. If Jacksonville wins the ILCS, it would advance to play the winner of the Pacific Coast Championship Series in a winner-take-all single-game Triple-A National Championship in Las Vegas.

Entering Thursday, the Jumbo Shrimp pace the International League with 167 stolen bases while ranking first in average against (.222) and hits allowed (548), second in WHIP (1.25) and third in ERA (3.65).

The first 3,500 adult fans will receive an exclusive Marlins-branded Perry Ellis International Cubavera guayabera shirt on Tuesday at loanDepot park. First pitch is scheduled for 6:40 p.m. ET.

July 1 was officially proclaimed Guayabera Day in 2010, when the Cuban government recognized the guayabera as the country’s official formal dress garment. The iconic shirt, known for its lightweight linen or cotton fabric, four front pockets, and signature vertical pleats, is worn across Cuba and by Latin communities around the world. Its origins trace back to late 19th-century Cuba, where local legend tells of farmers sewing extra pockets onto their shirts to carry guavas -- hence the name “guayabera.”

Fans can visit Marlins.com/Tickets to secure their tickets.

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