Miami Marlins first baseman Matt Mervis and third baseman Graham Pauley are not in the starting lineup for Sunday's contest against the Washington Nationals as they will face left-hander MacKenzie Gore. Mervis has typically taken a backseat throughout the early part of the campaign. Over his last seven contests, he has been quite productive at the plate, posting a .360/.400/.909 slash line with four long balls. Instead, Eric Wagman will cover first base, which opens up the designated hitter spot for Jonah Bride. Pauley has only made two starts this season against left-handed pitching. He has been in a bit of a slump at the plate, holding a .138 AVG over his last eight games. Instead, Javier Sanoja will get the nod at the hot corner. The Marlins' offense is not worth targeting in DFS facing Gore in this matchup.

With Pittsburgh Pirates left-hander Andrew Heaney starting the series finale on Sunday at loanDepot Park against the hosting Miami Marlins, both third baseman Graham Pauley and outfielder Kyle Stowers will start on the bench. Jonah Bride will make the start at third base and will hit fifth, while Javier Sanoja is starting in left field and batting in the nine-hole for the Fish. Neither Bride nor Sanoja have ever faced Heaney. The 24-year-old Pauley and the 27-year-old Stowers will be regulars in Miami's starting lineup when the team faces right-handed pitchers, but they will often be rested against southpaws. Pauley has started the year 2-for-6 with a double and an RBI in the first two games of the year, while Stowers has gone 4-for-12 with two RBI, a stolen base and a run scored in 14 trips to the plate over three games played.

The Miami Marlins promoted third base prospect Graham Pauley from Triple-A and gave him the starting nod at the hot corner. He will bat eighth and face the reigning NL Rookie of the Year, Paul Skenes. Pauley was recalled from Triple-A Jacksonville in a corresponding move, placing infielder Connor Norby (oblique) on the injured list. During spring training, Pauley posted a .286/.355/.429 slash line across 11 contests. During this stretch, he went deep once and held a 2:8 BB:K. The Duke product made his MLB debut last season with the San Diego Padres and tallied four hits across 13 contests. Fantasy managers in deeper NL-only formats should monitor his performance as he could see consistent time in the lineup with Norby sidelined. However, he should not be started in any format this afternoon facing Skenes, who posted a 1.93 ERA with a 0.95 WHIP as a rookie.

Miami Marlins third baseman Graham Pauley was optioned to Triple-A last week, but he'll start for the Marlins in Tuesday's spring training game against the Yankees. Pauley's outlook to start the year has changed with news that Connor Norby (oblique) will miss four weeks with an oblique strain. The Marlins acquired the 24-year-old left-handed hitter from the Padres as part of the Tanner Scott trade last July. In 113 minor-league games in 2024, Pauley hit .229 with 14 home runs and seven stolen bases to go with a .331 wOBA. He had a strong spring with a .269 batting average, two stolen bases, and a .309 wOBA. The team hasn't announced a roster move to coincide with Norby's expected trip to the injured list, but Pauley could be part of the solution at the hot corner to start the season, along with Eric Wagaman and Jonah Bride, who were already expected to make the roster.

The Miami Marlins acquired infielder/outfielder Graham Pauley from the San Diego Padres on Tuesday as part of the package that sent left-handed closer Tanner Scott to SD. In addition to Pauley, the Marlins landed pitching prospects Robby Snelling and Adam Mazur and second baseman Jay Beshears. Per MLB Pipeline, Pauley was the Friars' No. 5 prospect. The 23-year-old former 13th-round selection in 2022 out of Duke made his big-league debut this year but only played in 13 games, struggling to the tune of a .125 average (4-for-32) with two homers, five RBI, no walks and 15 strikeouts. He wasn't much better at Triple-A El Paso, slashing just .228/.342/.390 with eight home runs and 41 RBI in 70 games played. The young left-handed slugger should have a better shot at playing time in Miami at the end of this year and going into 2025, and his best attributes are his contact-oriented approach and plate discipline.