Matt Mervis DVOA, Advanced Stats, & Fantasy Rankings

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.

Miami Marlins outfielder Griffin Conine and first baseman Matt Mervis are both out of the starting lineup for Friday's series opener against the division-rival Washington Commanders at loanDepot Park with left-hander Mitchell Parker on the mound. Javier Sanoja is starting in left field and is hitting eighth, while Eric Wagaman is serving as the designated hitter and is batting cleanup against Parker. These moves won't register in most fantasy leagues. Conine has started his second year in the big leagues hitting .237 (9-for-38) with a homer, double and an RBI in 12 games played. Mervis, meanwhile has displayed some power (three homers, seven RBI) in 29 at-bats for those in deep NL-only leagues. Sanoja is still searching for his first career homer in his 23rd game, while Wagaman should be considered one of the weakest cleanup hitters on Friday's slate of action.

MiamiMarlins first baseman Matt Mervis homered in the top of the firstinning to put his team up 2-0, then added an insurance run in the seventh with a 421-foot solo blast that put the game at 4-0, which was the final score in Saturday's win over the Braves. Mervis would finish 3-for-5 with three RBI and two runs scored on the night. The left-handed hitter came into the game with just two hits in five games, but is now 5-for-20 (.250) through six games played, with the home runs being the first two extra-base hits so far. The 6-foot-2 slugger is known for his power, hitting as many as 36 home runs in a single season in the minors, but strikeouts have been a limitingfactor for him at the major league level. The 26-year-old has 1:9 BB:K thus far in 2025, with the nine strikeouts representing a 40.9 percent K%, compared to a 22.8 percent rate during his minor league career. If he can manage to make more contact, then additional power output would follow, but for now, Mervis is probablybest left to the waiver wire in most leagues outside of NL-only formats.

Miami Marlins designated hitter Matt Mervis will take a seat on the bench to start Sunday's series finale against the visiting Pittsburgh Pirates at loanDepot Park with left-hander Andrew Heaney on the mound. With another southpaw starting for the Bucs, the lefty-hitting Mervis will start on the bench for the second straight game. In the first two games of the 2025 regular season, the 26-year-old had a single, a walk, a run scored and three strikeouts in eight plate appearances. Eric Wagaman is starting at first base on Sunday and is batting cleanup for the Fish against Heaney. Wagaman has one hit in just three career at-bats against Heaney. The 27-year-old is still searching for his first hit of the year after going hitless with a strikeout in seven at-bats over two games so far. Although he's only a fantasy option in NL-only leagues, Wagaman could see regular at-bats with Connor Norby (oblique) out for a month.

According to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald, Miami Marlins first baseman Matt Mervis will get a "long look" during spring training. The Marlins acquired Mervis from the Chicago Cubs earlier this season in exchange for infielder Vidal Brujan. Mervis was once regarded as one of the top prospects in the Chicago system but struggled over the past two seasons. Across 36 games at the MLB level, Mervis posted a .155/.222/.259 line with three home runs. He took a significant step back at the Triple-A level last summer as he held a .235/.329/.434 slash line with 15 long balls. This was a sharp decline from the .282/.399/.533 line he held at the Triple-A level during the 2023 campaign. Jackson noted that Mervis will compete with Jonah Bride for the starting role but could also find a path to playing as a designated hitter if he has a successful spring training.