What More First Base Opportunities Could Mean for Marlins' Agustín Ramírez
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Now that Liam Hicks has been traded to the Tampa Bay Rays, the opportunity opens up the possibility of Agustin Ramirez getting a shot at practicing first base.
Agustín Ramírez will start taking reps at 1B…..unknown when he’ll play there but that position is now a possibility.
— Stephen Strom (@SStrom_) August 4, 2026
Hicks served as the catcher and first baseman for the Miami Marlins. Joe Mack is the full-time starting catcher. Ramirez was the Opening Day starting catcher, but his defense didn't live up to expectations.
The Marlins Are Granting A Chance for Ramirez to Play First Base
Having Ramirez as the designated hitter makes perfect sense because he won't be ready to master the first base position during the middle of the season. It will take him months of dedicated hard work to become proficient at first base.
Some tidbits from #Marlins president of baseball operations Peter Bendix:
— Christina De Nicola (@CDeNicola13) August 4, 2026
— Agustín Ramírez will get some practice at 1B (look at the glove!)
— Expects Max Meyer to pitch again this season pic.twitter.com/UPPtpyu0Ig
Miami doesn't want to be in the same position as they were with Christopher Morel. Ramirez has a lot of talent from an offense standpoint. He has gotten off to a slow start to the season, but we can't ignore what he brings to the team. If they want to promote him, then have him as a DH and place Griffin Conine or someone else to take care of first base for the rest of the season.
Before Ramirez got demoted, he was slashing .230/.318/.345 with five doubles, one triple, and two homers. Ramirez finished sixth in the 2025 NL Rookie of the Year voting after hitting 21 homers and 67 RBIs with 124 hits and 33 doubles.
One of the things we must give Ramirez credit for is his work ethic. He's always willing to do whatever it takes to help the team win. It's rare to hear Ramirez complain about moving from one position to another. No one likes to get demoted. Confidence can waver when that happens to a player and in Ramirez's case, he keeps his hopes up and continues to be a grinder.
Agustín Ramírez is going through some fielding drills with infield coach Blake Butler.
— Christina De Nicola (@CDeNicola13) August 4, 2026
Ramírez is up to help vs. LHP. Hope is he could fit a similar role to what Liam Hicks did at C/1B/DH. #Marlins pic.twitter.com/7nOpDhkwmL
We are not going to say that he's officially done playing the catcher position. If something were to happen to Mack, Ramirez will take over for a few games. Being the full-time catcher is probably over, but he can still contribute as a part-timer. Ramirez just can't put the Marlins in a situation where he commits too many errors and passed balls.
Ramirez led the majors last season with 10 errors and 19 passed balls. At Triple-A, he made 15 errors and allowed nine passed balls in 49 games. That's not excellent progress. Not even close. Aside from his defense, Ramirez has been solid at the plate in the minors lately, with nine extra-base hits and a .787 OPS since the start of July.
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After graduating from City College of New York in 2014, Miguel created his own blog. Since 2021, he has written for FanSided, where he covered the Toronto Blue Jays, College Football and Utah Mammoth hockey team. He also wrote for Miami Heat on SI and Cleveland Sports Talk. Miguel is the creator and host of his podcast, Baseball Heat Podcast with Mike.