Marlins pitcher Eury Pérez expected to miss approximately 8 weeks with odd leg injury

NEW YORK (AP) — Miami Marlins pitcher Eury Pérez is expected to miss about two months with a bizarre leg injury sustained while he was stretching in the dugout.

The right-hander exited Wednesday’s start in Toronto after throwing four shutout innings because his right hamstring spasmed while he was doing lateral lunges on the bench to limber up for the fifth. He was in such pain he needed assistance from a teammate to descend the steps into the clubhouse.

Pérez had imaging Thursday that revealed a high-grade strain of his right gracilis, a long, thin muscle on the inside of the thigh.

The 23-year-old Pérez is 3-6 with a 4.60 ERA in 12 starts, but his last two outings were excellent. He struck out a season-high nine against the Blue Jays before getting hurt, giving him 14 strikeouts without a walk while allowing just one run and five hits over his last 10 1/3 innings. He has 72 strikeouts in 62 2/3 innings this year.

“Unfortunate, with his last couple starts how well he was throwing the ball. We'll just have to pick up and keep going,” manager Clayton McCullough said Friday before the Marlins opened a three-game series against the New York Mets. “It's a team thing, so guys just have to step up and that's all you can do.”

McCullough said there's no plan in place yet for how Miami will fill Pérez's rotation spot beginning next week.

Pérez was put on the 15-day injured list, retroactive to Thursday, and the club recalled right-hander Josh Ekness from Triple-A Jacksonville. In another move, Leo Jiménez was reinstated from the seven-day concussion injured list and fellow infielder Graham Pauley was optioned to Jacksonville.

Jiménez got hurt when he took a knee to the head from Atlanta Braves star Ronald Acuña Jr. while he was sliding into third base on May 19.

Armed with a 98-99 mph fastball, the 6-foot-8 Pérez was rated one of baseball’s top prospects before making his major league debut at age 20 in May 2023.

He sat out the 2024 season while recovering from Tommy John surgery with an internal brace, and returned to Miami’s rotation in June 2025. He is 15-18 with a 3.93 ERA in 51 career starts.

“We know it's a young pitcher that still had a lot of experiences to gain from just getting the chance to take the ball at the major league level every fifth or sixth day," McCullough said.

"So, that’s kind of the most frustrating part is, you sense a little bit that maybe this was a player that was starting to get on a little bit of a roll, put some things together, and now he’s obviously going to have to miss a significant amount of time.”

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Miami Marlins pitcher Eury Pérez (39) works against the Toronto Blue Jays during the fourth inning of a baseball game in Toronto, Wednesday, May 27, 2026. (Chris Young/The Canadian Press via AP)

Miami Marlins pitcher Eury Pérez (39) works against the Toronto Blue Jays during the first inning of a baseball game in Toronto, Wednesday, May 27, 2026. (Chris Young/The Canadian Press via AP)

Miami Marlins pitcher Eury Pérez delivers to the Tampa Bay Rays during the first inning of a baseball game Sunday, May 17, 2026, in St. Petersburg, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

Miami Marlins starting pitcher Eury Pérez throws during the first inning of a baseball game against the New York Mets, Friday, May 22, 2026, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — President Donald Trump endorsed two Republican gubernatorial candidates Friday, wading into contests in South Carolina and Iowa that have pitted allies against each other in a fierce competition for their party leader's blessing.

In a pair of social media posts, Trump gave his backing to South Carolina Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette and Iowa Rep. Randy Feenstra, as primary elections in both states approach.

Iowa’s primary is Tuesday, and South Carolina’s is on June 9.

For two terms, Evette has served alongside Gov. Henry McMaster, one of Trump's earliest backers during his first presidential campaign. Earlier this year, the long-serving governor endorsed his No. 2, telegraphing to some that Trump's backing could be next.

On Friday, Trump expressed both appreciation for Evette and the state she represents, noting that she stumped for him in 2024. He also said “A BIG added plus” for her campaign is that Henry McMaster Jr. — the sitting governor's son — may be Evette's running mate.

In the deep red state of South Carolina, the competition for the president’s support has been the most intense part of the primary race.

In a separate post, Trump described Feenstra as "MAGA all the way” and said he would “fight tirelessly” for the state on issues including the economy, border security and support of law enforcement.

Both Evette and Feenstra have been vocal about wanting Trump's endorsement, in the hopes that it would carry weight in states that helped propel Trump's return to office in 2024. Feenstra said earlier this year that he asked for Trump's support, and much of Evette's campaign media has featured photos of her next to Trump.

Along with Feenstra, four other Republicans — state Rep. Eddie Andrews, businessman and former conservative political director Zach Lahn, former state Rep. Brad Sherman and former director of the state Department of Administrative Services Adam Steen — are in the primary to replace outgoing Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds, who opted out of a third bid.

Evette is competing for the South Carolina nomination against Rep. Nancy Mace, Rep. Ralph Norman and state Attorney General Alan Wilson.

Both states are having their first competitive Republican gubernatorial primaries in years, with Reynolds and McMaster in office for roughly a decade each.

Hannah Fingerhut contributed reporting from Des Moines, Iowa.

Meg Kinnard can be reached at http://x.com/MegKinnardAP

Rep. Randy Feenstra, R-Iowa, campaigns for the Republican nomination for governor during a rally with local residents, Wednesday, May 27, 2026, in West Des Moines, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)