Marlins’ Don Kelly, Jeff Mathis out with broken fingers

It was a freaky day of injuries for the Marlins on Sunday.

And it was one that will ultimately land infielder Don Kelly and backup catcher Jeff Mathis on the disabled list with nearly identical injuries: broken ring fingers on their right hands.

Mathis said he expects to be out four to six weeks with his hand injury, and Kelly said he is waiting to see a hand specialist before a determination can be made on how much time he’ll miss.

The Marlins are expected to call up catcher J.T. Realmuto and infielder Reid Brignac from Triple A New Orleans to replace Mathis and Kelly.

Those moves will likely be announced Monday before the Marlins open a 10-game road trip in Atlanta.

Kelly was starting at third base on Sunday in place of Martin Prado. His finger was broken on a routine ground ball in the third. As he was reaching inside his glove, the ball struck Kelly’s finger.

“I felt it hit and finished the play and didn’t think too much of it,” Kelly said. “Then I looked down and it was just gushing blood. I went in the dugout thinking we were just going to rinse it off, tape it up and be back out there. But the nail was off to the side.”

X-rays revealed the fracture after Kelly was removed from the game.

In the eighth, Mathis was behind the plate when a hard foul ball off the bat of Tim Beckham caught him square in the knuckles.

“Once it hit my hand, I felt my knuckle feel like it was in the palm of my hand,” Mathis said. “That’s why I walked to the mound, and it turned black and blue.”

SHOWING UP LATE

By the time Marcell Ozuna walked onto the field Sunday morning for batting practice, his Marlins teammates were already stretching.

Ozuna was late to work, a violation of team rules. As a result, he was scratched from the lineup and replaced with Ichiro Suzuki, who made his first start with the Marlins.

“We’re trying to win a series and he owes it to his teammates to be here to prepare himself,” said manager Mike Redmond, who was clearly unhappy with the matter. “Ichiro’s ready to play, so we’ll sit [Ozuna on the bench] and let Ichiro go out there and help us try to win a series.”

Ozuna said he didn’t read the message board inside the clubhouse the day before to see what time players were expected to show up.

“They say to check the board, and I forgot to check the board,” Ozuna said. “I’m sorry. I know I’m never going to do it again. It was my fault, my mistake.”

Ozuna’s name was on the lineup card, batting fifth and playing center, when it was first posted Sunday. But after he didn’t arrive in time, the lineup was changed to reflect the disciplinary decision.

Asked if Ozuna’s punishment would be “a one-day thing,” Redmond replied: “We’ll see.”

COMING UP

▪ Monday: Marlins RHP Mat Latos (0-1, 94.50 ERA) at Atlanta Braves RHP Shelby Miller (0-0, 0.00), 7:10 p.m., Turner Field.

▪ Tuesday: Marlins RHP Tom Koehler (0-1, 3.00) at Atlanta Braves RHP Trevor Cahill (season debut), 7:10 p.m., Turner Field.

This story was originally published April 12, 2015 at 6:39 PM with the headline "Marlins’ Don Kelly, Jeff Mathis out with broken fingers."