JT Riddle’s return, Walker’s injury and how the Marlins plan to handle first base
JT Riddle is back with the Miami Marlins.
The Marlins announced that they called up the 27-year-old shortstop from Triple A New Orleans on Friday afternoon, a few hours before starting a three-game road series with the San Diego Padres. Riddle’s return to the major-league level comes at the expense of veteran first baseman Neil Walker, who was placed on the 10-day injured list after sustaining a right quad injury in the Marlins’ 3-1 loss to the San Francisco Giants on Thursday.
Riddle started the year on the Marlins’ Opening Day roster and was expected to platoon with Miguel Rojas at shortstop. After Riddle’s slow start to the season — he went just 5 for 32 with two home runs and three RBI in his first 15 games — and with the inability to get him everyday at-bats, the Marlins optioned him to Triple A New Orleans on April 16.
Riddle hit .243 (28 for 115) with 10 doubles, four home runs, 19 RBI and 21 runs scored on 30 games in New Orleans while splitting time at shortstop and center field defensively.
Riddle has a career .234 batting average at the MLB level with 14 home runs, 70 RBI and 51 runs scored over 187 games.
As for Walker, his injury came in the middle of an offensive hot streak. The 33-year-old switch hitter had hits in six of his last nine starts, including three multihit performances to bring his season batting average up to .295. Walker recorded a pinch-hit, go-ahead RBI double in the seventh inning of the Marlins’ 4-2 win over the Giants on Wednesday.
Walker injured the quad running to first base in the sixth inning.
“Generally the way he kind of pulls up tells you it’s going to be a little bit,” Marlins manager Don Mattingly said after Thursday’s game.
The Marlins will now get creative with how they handle their lineup. Mattingly said Riddle will spend the bulk of his playing time in center field, which will allow rookie Harold Ramirez to move to a more natural fitting spot in the corner outfields. He will also spell Rojas at shortstop when needed. When he makes his first start in center field, Riddle will be the 11th player to start a game in the outfield for the Marlins this year.
“It’s been a little more relaxing,” Riddle said of the adjustment to center field. “At shortstop, you’re involved in the run game. You’re involved in everything. In center field, it’s almost like a game of fetch. The ball goes up. You run it down and catch it.”
Martin Prado, Rojas and Garrett Cooper are platoon options at first in Walker’s absence, as is Austin Dean. Cooper has started primarily in right field this year but is sound defensively at first. Dean has only played in left field since being called up for his second stint with the Marlins this year but experimented with first base in Triple A New Orleans. Prado has the most experience at first, but after missing the bulk of the last two years with an assortment of injuries, the Marlins are hesitant to play the 35-year-old on an everyday basis.
“We’ll figure it out,” Mattingly said. “We’ve got different combinations of guys that we can use. We’re in pretty good shape.”
This story was originally published May 31, 2019 at 5:06 PM.