Marlins prospects update: Griffin Conine’s strong start to June, injury updates

It’s early, but the month of June has been good so far to Griffin Conine.

After struggling to get consistent results the first two months of the season, the Miami Marlins’ outfielder prospect and son of Mr. Marlin Jeff Conine has strung together his share of quality outings so far in June with Double A Pensacola.

In nine games this month, Conine has a .273 batting average/.385 on-base percentage/.667 slugging slash line with four home runs, one double, nine RBI and eight runs scored. The slash line is well above what his season average was to that point (.220 average, .351 on-base percentage, .390 slugging through the end of May). He has multiple hits in three of his nine starts so far this month.

Conine, who turns 26 next month, is in his third season at the Double A level. He was promoted there midway through 2021 and has been there since. He’s in part a casualty of the Marlins’ outfield depth in the upper minors.

The club already had five outfielders competing for playing time at Triple A in Peyton Burdick, Jerar Encarnacion, Jake Mangum, Victor Victor Mesa and Brian Miller, not to mention the occasional start in center field by Xavier Edwards. They recently promoted Dane Myers to Triple A as well.

Conine, Victor Mesa Jr., J.D. Orr, Dalvy Rosario and Norel Gonzalez are the current outfielder group in Pensacola. Conine has primarily played right field (32 of 47 starts).

Minor-league injury updates

▪ Left-handed pitcher Dax Fulton, Miami’s fourth-ranked prospect by MLB Pipeline, has not thrown in a game since May 11 due to a left elbow UCL issue. The club is waiting for a final medical opinion to determine Fulton’s next steps, which could potentially include Tommy John surgery.

▪ Left-handed pitcher Jake Eder, Miami’s fifth-ranked prospect, made his second rehab assignment start Saturday in his return from Tommy John surgery. Eder threw four innings for Single A Jupiter, giving up just one run on four hits, a walk and a hit batter while striking out three.

▪ Catcher Paul McIntosh, Miami’s No. 27 prospect, played in five games last week for Jupiter while recovering from a hamstring injury. It was his first game action since May 2.

▪ Sixto Sanchez (right shoulder) experienced another setback in his recovery and will not be throwing for two weeks.

Sean Reynolds’ promotion

Sean Reynolds is one step closer to the big leagues.

The Marlins on Thursday promoted the right-handed relief pitcher, ranked as the No. 24 prospect in their system, to Triple A Jacksonville.

Reynolds made his Jumbo Shrimp debut Sunday, pitching two innings and giving up just one hit — a solo home run to former Marlin Eddy Alvarez — while striking out two.

This and that

▪ Utility player Edwards, who has moved back and forth between Triple A and the Marlins this season, hit his first home run as a member of the Marlins organization, a solo shot with Triple A Jacksonville on Sunday in the first game of a double header.

▪ First baseman Troy Johnston up to 10 home runs with Double A Pensacola, tied for third most in Southern League.

▪ Jacob Berry, the Marlins’ 2022 first-round pick, made two starts at first base last week with High A Beloit, the first time he has played there since starting his pro ball career. Before last week, Berry exclusively played either third base or designated hitter.

▪ The second-highest OPS in the Southern League so far this month? Why, that would be second baseman Jose Devers, who has a 1.339 OPS to go along with a .441 batting average (15 for 34), four home runs, two doubles, 10 RBI and 10 runs scored so far in June. Devers had just three home runs in his minor-league career before his recent power surge.