MIAMI (AP) — The Miami Marlins promoted highly-rated catcher Joe Mack from Triple-A and demoted slumping catcher Agustín Ramírez before the club’s game against the Philadelphia Phillies on Monday.
Mack, rated the fifth catching prospect in the major leagues and 54th fourth overall, started behind the plate and went 0 for 3 in Miami’s 1-0 loss.
“Obviously, would have loved to win but just being able to be here with the guys and the experience of what it is to be a major league baseball player, it’s amazing,” Mack said. “It was very cool to step on that field and take it all in. It was a whole new experience.”
Mack was hitting .244 with three homers and nine RBIs through 24 games with the Marlins’ affiliate in Jacksonville before his call-up.
“It’s everything that I’ve worked for my whole career, my whole life,” Mack said. “You dream of this as a kid and finally being able to actually be here, it’s just truly amazing. I thank God every single day for it. He’s carried me through everything. Very blessed to be in the spot that I’m at."
The 24-year-old Mack has ascended through the Marlins’ organization after he was the 31st overall selection in the 2021 draft. The club notably values his defensive skills.
“They called me up for a reason and they called me up to be me,” Mack said. “I’m not going to go out there and be somebody else. I’m going to play my game.”
Mack will split catching duties with Liam Hicks, who also been one of Miami’s top offensive performers this season. Hicks began Monday with a team-leading seven homers and 29 RBIs.
“It’s exciting for anybody making their debut,” Marlins manager Clayton McCullough said. “Joe has earned that on the performance side of things.”
After a breakout rookie season in 2025, when he hit 21 homers and drove in 67 runs, Ramírez was hitting .231 and had two homers before his demotion to Triple-A. Ramirez, who finished sixth in the 2025 NL Rookie of the Year voting, also struggled defensively. He has thrown out two of 20 base stealing attempts and has an NL-leading four errors in 17 games.
“We’re going to continue to surround a lot of support around Agustín,” McCullough said. “This is a hot place, there’s nowhere to hide. You hear the narrative. You start to read about it. Sometimes getting out of the spotlight a little bit and have the light a little bit dimmer can let you reset and get back to the player we all know he has a chance to be.”
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB
Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
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