Jakob Marsee aims to help Marlins rebound vs. White Sox

Center fielder Jakob Marsee enjoyed an impressive 55-game rookie season with the Miami Marlins last year, batting .292 with an .842 OPS, 26 extra-base hits and 14 steals.

But was that a fluke? The question is worth asking because Marsee's career minor-league numbers were well below those levels, batting just .239 with a .772 OPS in 395 games.

In the first three games this season, Marsee hit just .091 (3-for-11) with a .348 OPS.

But Marsee, who likely will be in the starting lineup again on Tuesday when the Marlins host the Chicago White Sox, has the confidence of manager Clayton McCullough.

"He's barreled a few balls that haven't fallen," McCullough said after Marsee went 2-for-5 in a 9-4 loss to the White Sox on Monday.

"With ‘Mars', it's a matter of time. He's seeing the ball well. He finally got rewarded with some knocks (on Monday). He will get himself rolling."

Marsee, 24, is part of a young Marlins outfield that includes 2025 All-Star Kyle Stowers and rookie Owen Caissie, 23.

Stowers is on the injured list, however, while Caissie is hitting .385 with a 1.198 OPS.

"Owen has some toughness and edge to him," McCullough said. "He competes in his at-bats, and he's off to a nice start."

Right-hander Janson Junk will make his 2026 debut on Tuesday for Miami.

He is 0-0 with a 2.08 ERA in one career appearance against the White Sox, which came in 2021. He has a fastball that sits 94-96 mph, a high-spin slider and a sweeping slider.

Chicago will counter with right-hander Erick Fedde, who is 5-2 with a 3.00 ERA in 12 career appearances against the Marlins.

Fedde, 33, uses a sinker, slider, cutter and changeup, but he was hit hard last year while posting a 4-13 record with a 5.49 ERA with three teams. The White Sox, needing rotation help, signed him in February to a one-year, $1.5 million contract.

Offensively, the White Sox are led by Miguel Vargas, a Miami resident who had a huge game on Monday, slugging a grand slam and driving in six runs.

"It feels great especially since I have my family here," Vargas said after Monday's game. "I had friends at the game who had never seen me play in the big leagues.

"I'm very happy -- super proud."

Of the nine hitters who started Monday's game for the White Sox, five of them have an OPS greater than .800 so far this season, including Vargas (.913). The others on the list include Munetaka Murakami (1.373); Tristan Peters (1.056); Everson Pereira (.904); and Colson Montgomery (.875).

At the very least, the White Sox are building what could be a solid infield with Murakami at first, Chase Meidroth at second, Montgomery at shortstop and Vargas at third.

Murakami is the biggest star. He's a "rookie" in the majors, but he won the Triple Crown in Japan in 2022, and he has immense power.

Meidroth was solid last year as a rookie (.649 OPS, 14 steals), and Vargas is a patient hitter who blasted 16 homers last year with a .717 OPS.

Montgomery, Chicago's first-round pick in 2021, slugged 21 homers in just 71 games as a rookie last year, posting an .840 OPS.

--Field Level Media