Six Former Blue Wahoos Elevated This Week To Marlins, Setting Franchise Record For MLB Debuts

The arduous path from Pensacola to “The Show” for former Blue Wahoos players has never looked shorter than it has this week.

Six former Blue Wahoos players, five of whom were part of the 2025 team, were called up in the past five days. Five players will make their Major League Baseball debuts with the Miami Marlins before Friday night ends.

It’s the most players in such a short span to make MLB debuts in Blue Wahoos franchise history. The latest happened Thursday when reliever Stephen Jones, who made 10 appearances so far this season for the Blue Wahoos, joined the Marlins’ bullpen for a brief stint, but did not get into Thursday's game.

The additions give the Blue Wahoos 156 players attaining MLB debuts since the inaugural 2012 season.

The parade began Sunday May 3 when relief pitcher Josh Ekness threw a scoreless inning of relief for the Marlins against the Philadelphia Phillies.

The next day, heralded catcher Joe Mack arrived. He made his debut Monday night (May 4) in a starting role, batting seventh in the lineup against the Phillies. He then collected two hits in his second start on Tuesday against the Baltimore Orioles. He collected his first extra base hit with a double Thursday night, then scored the winning run in the Marlins' walk-off victory.

“Incredible… just to get the first one out of the way… obviously would have loved to win (game vs. Phillies), but just being here with the guys and experience what it is to be a Major League Baseball player is beyond amazing,” said Mack, speaking to media members in Miami following the May 3 game.

“I am very grateful and blessed to be here and play with these guys.”

After that, former Blue Wahoos pitchers William Kempner (May 5) and Dax Fulton (Wednesday night) appeared in relief for the Marlins in separate games at LoanDepot Park.

Fulton, a starter in his minor league career, entered in relief and threw four innings against the Orioles.

“Excited to get out there,” said Fulton, speaking to media members in Miami. “It still feels surreal to me, but at the same time I am happy with how it went. Little things to work out, but overall I know I can compete here and I’m excited for what’s ahead.”

On Thursday, Fulton was sent back to Triple-A with the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp, but it’s likely he could return to the Marlins at some point this season.

Helping drive the decision for so many call-ups is the fact the Marlins are in midst of a 10-day homestand against three different teams. That means getting players from Jacksonville to Miami is either a quick plane flight or 325 mile drive.

“I am do whatever it takes to get to the big leagues and to stay here,” Fulton said. “If my path is a reliever, then that’s what I am going to do. Honestly I don’t mind it all. I don’t think it’s much different. It is the same mindset. Go up there and get guys out.”

The fast flurry of former Blue Wahoos players making MLB debuts this week further reinforces to baseball fans in Pensacola how quickly a guy playing at Blue Wahoos Stadium can be talking about reaching their dream of playing in the big leagues.

Mack mentioned after his debut game Monday that players on the Phillies team knew of him and the special moment. The players in the starting lineup congratulated him as did the home plate umpire before the first pitch of the game.

“It was very, very cool to step out on that field and take it all in,” Mack said. “Pretty much all the guys said congratulations. It was a really cool experience to hear that. Especially those veteran guys to say that to me. It was very kind and very inspiring to me.”

In order of their MLB debut with the Marlins, here’s a look at the former Blue Wahoos players called up this week.

JOSH EKNESS (Relief Pitcher) -- Ekness, 24, who grew up in the Houston area, appeared in 43 games last year for the Blue Wahoos, four games in 2024. He earned 10 saves with 4-1 record last year 2.73 ERA. Ekness was the Blue Wahoos top closer in 2025. He was part of the Jumbo Shrimp relief corps this season. He is 1-1 with a 5.68 ERA. He has pitched two scoreless innings in two games with the Marlins.

JOE MACK (Catcher) -- Mack, 23, grew up in Buffalo area. He played 13 games for the Blue Wahoos last year to start the season before getting promoted to Jacksonville. In Pensacola, Mack his for .318 average, 3 homers, 5 RBI in those games. He played 112 games for the Blue Wahoos in 2024 with 22 homers, 65 RBI, .241 average.

So far with the Marlins, he has 2 hits in nine at-bats.

WILLIAM KEMPNER (Reliever) – Kempner, 24, a San Jose, California native, pitched one scoreless inning in relief for the Marlins on May 5 vs. Baltimore. He appeared in 16 games last year for the Blue Wahoos as a reliever with a 3-1 record and 1:13 ERA. This season with the Jumbo Shrimp, he has appeared in 12 games with the Jumbo Shrimp this season.

DAX FULTON (Starter/Reliever) – The 24-year-old left is a Mustang, Oklahoma native. He appeared in 19 games, 18 starts last season for the Blue Wahoos with a 5-10 record, 5.36 ERA// Also pitched for the Blue Wahoos in 2022 and 2023 before an injury caused him to miss the entire 2024 season.

STEPHEN JONES (Reliever) – A Tallahassee native, Jones, 28, appeared in 10 games this season, all in relief. He was 2-1 with 3.24 ERA before joining the Marlins on Thursday. He did not appear in their game Thursday night and then was put on the DFA (designated for assignment) list. The Marlins are expected to reclaim Jones and place him either in Jacksonville or Pensacola.

ROBBY SNELLING (Starter) – The Reno, Nevada native was set to make his MLB debut on Friday night in Miami against the Washington Nationals. So far this season, Snelling, 22, was 3-1 with a 1.86 ERA in six starts this season for the Jumbo Shrimp. He made 14 starts for the Blue Wahoos in 2025, compiling a 3-5 record with a 3.61 ERA.

Of the five former Blue Wahoos pitchers called up this week, Snelling is the one the Marlins are counting upon to fill their starting rotation. He has risen into being ranked the Marlins’ No. 2 overall prospect, after joining the organization in 2024 in a multi-player trade with the San Diego Padres.

"He's been on a roll [since] the end of last year, really pitched well this spring again,” said Marlins manager Clayton McCullough, addressing media members in Miami. “We saw the stuff was there, and he threw the ball well in spring, and he's done nothing but enhance that with how he's gone out and thrown the ball and performed to this point in Jacksonville.

“It's lined up well, and it's more than it lining up on the calendar. Robby has earned this chance now that it's open to come up and take that spot."