Garrett Cooper is optimistic after being hit by pitch, but Miami might be in roster bind
Garrett Cooper’s return to full health for the Miami Marlins lasted all of two plate appearances Tuesday against the Cleveland Indians.
Cooper began 2018 as the Marlins’ starting right fielder before a right wrist injury limited the slugger to just 14 games. He was their starting right fielder again on Opening Day this season until a calf injury just three games in sent him to the injured list again.
Cooper finally returned Tuesday to start at first base in Miami with Neil Walker dealing with a knee injury. His first plate appearance ended in a strikeout. His second ended with him crumpled on the field at Marlins Park, clutching at his left hand. A 96-mph fastball got away from Trevor Bauer and drilled Cooper on the outside of his left hand, knocking him out of the game.
“When I took the glove off after I got hit, you think of the worst,” Cooper said Tuesday. “You’re hoping, but when you look down, you see your hand pretty swollen already, it’s definitely not the greatest feeling, but athletes deal with it all the time, so it’s just something you’ve got to get through.
“It’s part of sports. I’ve been hit with the bad luck charm so much in the last year or so, but hopefully this will be short lived and we’ll come back sooner than later.”
Cooper at least got some initial good news before the Marlins’ 7-4 loss to the Indians came to an end. Miami (8-21) had X-rays done on Cooper’s left hand and tests came back negative. Nothing, so far as the Marlins can tell, is broken, so Cooper is currently in a day-to-day holding pattern.
“You’re happy to have nothing broken, nothing fractured,” Cooper said. “It’s just a nice bruise, so it’s just a sigh of relief when they tell you nothing is broken.”
The injury, no matter how short a period of time it keeps Cooper out for, does put Miami in a bit of a bind. Walker, who has started 17 games this season at first base, hasn’t started since Thursday as he recovers from a bone bruise in his left knee, although the utility man has pinch hit three times since his last start.
Still, the Marlins don’t seem to be expecting Cooper or Walker to be good to go when Miami wraps up a two-game series against Cleveland (16-12) on Wednesday at 7:10 p.m. at Marlins Park. Cooper said he’s having trouble making a fist with his left hand, which will keep him from hitting. Walker is still dealing with discomfort in his left hamstring, which will keep him from running.
Don Mattingly hopes Miami can get by with 23 players for the time being since the Marlins are off Thursday. If one or both aren’t ready to play by the weekend, though, Miami might have a decision to make.
“I’m glad to see the negative because I thought it looked really bad right away. It was getting black and blue quick. He’s had a road that doesn’t seem to be positive, but hopefully this is negative,” the manager said. “We’ll see. We’ll talk about what we want to do if we have to do anything or if we can buy a day and see what the off day looks like, see what he can do. Obviously, we can’t play short very long, but we do have one day and a day off, so we’ll see what it looks like tomorrow.”
This story was originally published May 1, 2019 at 12:37 AM.