Tommy John Surgery Puts Marlins' Robby Snelling’s Rise on Pause

The Miami Marlins are going to have to wait a little while longer for the emergence of Robby Snelling to take place.

Miami Marlins starting pitcher Robby Snelling. | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

Robby Snelling, one of the Miami Marlins’ top up-and-coming prospects, is going to be on the shelf for quite some time.

The Marlins told reporters that Snelling is due to undergo season-ending Tommy John surgery on May 22. This comes just hours after the Marlins moved him to the 60-day injured list.

Snelling appeared in just one MLB game before heading to the injured list on May 13. In five innings against the Washington Nationals on May 8, he allowed just three runs on five hits — one of which was a homer — while striking out two and walking four. It wasn’t the most electric debut, but there were flashes of brilliance that gave Marlins fans excitement for what was to come in the future.

It wasn’t surprising, either. Snelling had lit up the minor leagues, posting a 1.86 ERA over 29 innings with Triple-A Jacksonville before being called up to the show.

Marlins say Pitcher Robby Snelling will undergo Tommy John Surgery.

— Craig Mish (@CraigMish) May 21, 2026

Then disaster struck when Snelling felt discomfort in his elbow during a bullpen session prior to his scheduled May 12 start against the Minnesota Twins. The initial MRI revealed a ligament sprain, but Snelling met with Dr. Keith Meister — one of the country’s top orthopedic surgeons — on May 21, which then led to the decision to go under the knife.

It appears that the future is going to have to wait a little while longer.

Future of Marlins Rotation Put on Hold

Miami Marlins starting pitcher Robby Snelling. | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

Tommy John surgery takes around a year to recover from, meaning that Snelling could realistically be back with the Marlins around the 2027 All-Star break. There’s also the distinct possibility that it takes him longer to recover, which would push that date even further, perhaps even to 2028.

This development is obviously a major blow to a Marlins pitching staff that was looking forward to adding Snelling to its ranks. The former first-round pick in 2022 was one of the top prospects in the organization, and he was ready to take the reins and lead this rotation to the promised land. Now he’ll have to wait at least a year to do that, which is just a big bummer.

The Marlins currently have four pitchers on the injured list, three of whom are due to undergo UCL reconstruction surgeries. Only Snelling is set to have full-blown Tommy John surgery — the other two, Adam Mazur and Ronny Henriquez, were fortunate enough to undergo only the internal brace version of the surgery, which has an expedited recovery timeline. Snelling, meanwhile, will have to sit out much longer than those two.