Marlins Rising Prospect Aiva Arquette to Miss Time After Surgery
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Miami Marlins prospect Aiva Arquette wasn’t going to make the Major League roster. But now he’s going to miss the rest of spring training.
Arquette had core muscle surgery on Friday, per MLB.com’s Christina De Nicola. The procedure repaired a left groin injury that he suffered going offseason workouts in his native Hawai’i. He shut down those workouts for a while and resumed them at spring training. But the pain returned.
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The shortstop is expected to need four to six weeks to recover before he can start baseball activities. Given the time needed to ramp up, he may not be ready to join a full-season affiliate in April.
Aiva Arquette’s Marlins Career
Just a week ago he was taking batting practice cuts against top pitching prospect Kevin DeFrank, who was signed as an international free agent last January. Arquette is the organization’s No. 3 prospect, while DeFrank is No. 6. Arquette is also a Top 100 prospect per MLB Pipeline.
DeFrank still has a ways to go before he’s ready for the Majors. Arquette and the Marlins were hoping that Arquette might accelerate his development this season.
Arquette is 22 years old, and the Marlins made him their first-round selection in last year's draft. Taken No. 7 overall out of Oregon State, the shortstop is coming off a standout season with the Beavers. He played his first two collegiate seasons with Washington.
With Oregon State last year, he slashed .354/.461/.654 with 19 home runs and 55 RBI. After his draft selection, Miami sent him to High-A Beloit to get in some reps before the end of the season. In 27 games he slashed .242/.350/.323 with one home run and 10 RBI. He could go back to Beloit to start 2026 or, with a strong camp, could end up going to Double-A Pensacola to start the campaign.
With an injury like this, Arquette may return to Jupiter for extended spring training or participate in Florida Complex League action on a rehab assignment before he’s transferred to a full-season affiliate.
With Arquette down for a while, the highest-rated middle infielder in the organization per MLB Pipeline is Starlyn Caba, who can play both shortstop and second base and was acquired from the Philadelphia Phillies in late 2024. Right after him is Andrew Salas, who can play in the outfield in addition to both middle infield positions.
It represents one of the most impressive middle infield pipelines in the game. With Arquette out, there is opportunity for Caba and Salas to get more attention during minor league spring training.
