Marlins sign – Zach Pop is returning to the Miami Marlins after signing a minor league contract, with an assignment to Triple-A Jacksonville. The 29-year-old right-hander’s latest stop comes after a stint with the Philadelphia Phillies that was cut short by a right calf stra
For the Miami Marlins, it’s a familiar name coming back through the bullpen door—just not the major league one yet.
On Friday, Miami signed right-handed reliever Zach Pop to a minor league contract, a move listed in MLB.com transaction logs. Pop, 29, is set to report to Triple-A Jacksonville after joining the organization.
Pop’s path to this contract has been anything but smooth. Over the winter. he originally signed a major league deal with the Philadelphia Phillies and even broke camp with the club. He appeared in seven games for Philadelphia, allowing three earned runs over 7 1/3 innings pitched. Then the season took a turn on April 13. when he suffered a right calf strain and was sent to the injured list.
When he returned to health, Philadelphia chose not to reinstate him to the major league roster. With no minor league options available, the Phillies designated him for assignment. He later cleared waivers and elected free agency last weekend.
Even his brief time in Triple-A didn’t lift the numbers. During his time there, Pop allowed eight runs in eight innings.
Now the right-hander returns to Miami, where he began his MLB career as a Rule 5 selection in 2021. In his earlier tenure with the Marlins. he pitched parts of two seasons and posted an earned run average just under 4.00 across 74 2/3 innings. He was later traded to the Toronto Blue Jays at the 2022 deadline.
Since leaving Miami, Pop has also spent time with the Seattle Mariners and New York Mets, along with the Phillies. Across 169 2/3 innings of MLB work, he carries a career 4.83 ERA.
His pitching profile has always centered on a 96.2 mph sinker that produces plenty of ground balls but has limited strikeouts. If Pop can turn that ground-ball habit into stronger results in Jacksonville, a bullpen call-up with the Marlins remains a realistic possibility.
For now, it’s a reset—one contract, one assignment, and a chance to earn his way back to the majors the way he started in Miami.
Miami Marlins Zach Pop MLB transactions Triple-A Jacksonville Philadelphia Phillies right calf strain bullpen sinker Rule 5 selection