Marlins Get Good Injury News on Pitcher Looking To Crack Starting Rotation
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One question facing the Miami Marlins and manager Clayton McCullough this spring training is: How will the rotation behind Sandy Alcantara look on Opening Day? After Edward Cabrera and Ryan Weathers were traded in January, that opens the door for several young pitchers to work their way into the rotation with a good spring.
One of those pitchers who was penciled in before spring training started was right-hander Janson Junk. The 30-year-old is out of minor league options, so if he isn't on the Opening Day roster, then the Marlins risk losing him if he's healthy. Just a couple of days into spring training workouts, he has already had a setback, but on Thursday, he got some good news regarding his injury.
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Marlins Janson Junk Gets Good Injury Update
According to Christina De Nicola of MLB.com, Junk rolled his ankle during dynamic warmups on Tuesday. He went and got testing and according to De Nicola, he has a Grade 1 mild ankle sprain, which is the best-case scenario according to Junk.
Janson Junk has a Grade 1 mild ankle sprain, which is "probably the best-case scenario" per him.
— Christina De Nicola (@CDeNicola13) February 19, 2026
Took X-rays. Did movement evaluation. No concern to undergo an MRI.
"I'm not concerned that this is gonna be a multi-week thing."#Marlins
That is good news for McCullough and Junk. There is well over a month before the season begins at home against the Colorado Rockies on March 27 and his turn in the rotation wouldn't come until the end of that series, or early in the following series against the Chicago White Sox.
Last season, Junk made 21 appearances, 16 starts, for Miami goig 6-4 with a 4.17 ERA in 110 innings with 77 strikeouts. He had a 5.9 strikeout-to-walk ratio. His best month was in July when he had a 2.79 ERA in 29 innings, allowing just nine earned runs in five appearances.
As far as how things will shake out for Junk in terms of earning a spot in the rotation, this could be a setback, even if it's not long-term, as he hinted at. Eury Pérez is likely going to follow Alcantara in the rotation with Max Meyer, Braxton Garrett and Chris Paddack pushing for a spot. Paddack is looking to hook on after signing a one-year deal with the team that selected him in the 2015 MLB Draft.
Junk is someone who, if he loses out on a rotation spot, could end up in the bullpen and be used as a long reliever or spot starter. Again, he is out of minor league options, so that will play into the Marlins' decisions as spring training comes to a close later in March.
