Marlins Prospect Josh White May Fit Perfectly in ‘Bullpen of Misfits’ in 2026
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The Miami Marlins had to augment their bullpen in a hurry in the wake of losing Ronny Henriquez for the season.
Henriquez will miss the 2026 season after elbow surgery. Miami moved fast to claim the top remaining closer on the market, Tampa Bay’s Pete Fairbanks, and gave him a one-year deal worth $13 million. It's a rock-solid signing at this stage of free agency. But he won’t be the only reliever the Marlins will lean on next season. But that help may not come from free agency.
Recently, MLB.com posted a story about a prospect to watch for each organization in 2026. Some are close to the Majors, and some are looking to take that next step in the minors. For the Marlins, the site selected a reliever that isn’t ranked among the franchise’s Top 30 prospects but is poised to join the Majors next season — right-hander Josh White.
About Josh White
MLB.com’s Christina De Nicola, who covers the Marlins, called the team’s relievers a “bullpen of misfits.” That is because the franchise doesn’t have clear roles for their relievers. For instance, Calvin Faucher became the team’s closer by default last season. Fairbanks could fill that role this season, but he’ll likely have help from Faucher and others.
White is a reliever De Nicola wrote that could make the opening-day roster as a reliever if he has a great spring. He set himself up for that call-up with a tremendous 2025 with Double-A Pensacola and Triple-A Jacksonville.
The right-hander blew up last season as he went 10-1 with a 1.86 ERA in 45 games. He had six holds, along with four saves in five chances. He struck out 107 and walked 23 in 67.2 innings. For the Marlins, there is confidence in seeing his numbers remain consistent from Pensacola to Jacksonville.
With Pensacola, he was 6-0 with a 1.27 ERA with four holds in 28.1 innings. He struck out 50 and walked 12. With Jacksonville, he went 4-1 with a 2.29 ERA in 39.1 innings. He struck out 57 and walked 11. Batters hit .166 against him for the season, with a .126 average in Pensacola and a .193 average at Jacksonville. He clearly had no issues with the transition from Double-A to Triple-A for the first time in his career.
White has been bouncing around the Marlins system since Miami made him a fifth-round pick in 2022 out of the University of California. He has steadily worked his way up the ladder and has great numbers across the board. In four minor league seasons he has 14-9 with a 2.97 ERA in 124 games, with 268 strikeouts and 90 walks in 203.1 innings. Batters are hitting just .206 against him for his career.
