Calendar, Janson Junk just put Miami Marlins fans on Robby Snelling watch

The moment Miami Marlins have long been waiting for could be happening as soon as next weekend's homestand.

Robby Snelling just carved up the opposition for 12 Ks in his latest masterpiece at AAA. Current Marlins starting rotation member Janson Junk just gave up five runs (4 earned) and took his second loss of the season. Plus, Miami kept him in the minors long enough to get that extra year. What more needs to be said, right?

Well, plenty as it turns out.

For starters and as partly addressed in an article that came out earlier Saturday, I don't particularly think Junk deserves to be sent down. He was great last time out, and Miami didn't exactly put on a defensive clinic behind him. Nor a hitting one for that matter. The fact he battled and put up two scoreless innings after giving up those runs is to his credit.

There's also the fact that neither Junk nor Chris Paddack actually can be sent down. They're just straight up gone if the Marlins choose to move on, meaning they would need to be straight up terrible to warrant such a move. They haven't been yet. Neither has Max Meyer, who actually does have minor league options remaining. That roster reality is a big reason why that earlier article spoke of how much it would benefit the Marlins if Junk and Paddack pulled their weight into the summer, putting trades for all of them on the table.

However, there's also no denying that Junk and Paddack don't have anywhere close to Snelling's potential upside. He could be a top of the rotation stud, an All-Star. There's certainly no denying that a Snelling promotion would do far more for streaming package and ticket sales. Which makes it very easy to picture Miami deciding the future is now, swapping out a struggling reliever for Junk or Paddack, and slotting Snelling into the rotation.

Something that would be very easy to do when it comes to Snelling's schedule, by the way. Minor league pitchers tend to get an extra day of rest, and Snelling has been no exception in 2026. Six days rest has been the norm for him, which would set him up almost perfectly for making his Marlins debut at home this coming Friday. Miami's off day on Thursday would technically be when he's due to pitch again but that's hardly a hurdle here.

Indeed, the fact that the schedule allows for a home debut, and a weekend home debut no less, is really something to watch here. It would be a big marketing opportunity for the Marlins to capitalize on. However, if it's just a soft landing at home that Miami would be after, the coming homestand offers two bites at that apple. Snelling could make his next scheduled AAA start and still make a very low pressure loanDepot debut against the Cardinals before the Marlins hit the road.

It's also worth noting that Miami has three Thursday off days in a row on tap, setting the Marlins up nicely to accommodate a pitcher making an adjustment from pitching every sixth day to just every five. Plus, there's no rule that the Marlins can't go six-man themselves.

Ultimately, Miami has plenty of options when it comes to their starting rotation. Health permitting, they also have plenty of time.

But this week also provides the first window where it would be very easy for the Marlins to make a change if they wanted to. It's going to be interesting to see if they choose to take advantage.