Pitcher Jose Urena scratched from Marlins lineup. Robert Dugger starts vs Phillies
Miami Marlins starting pitcher Jose Urena was a late scratch from the lineup in the team’s Sunday’s series finale against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. The team announced that Robert Dugger will start in Urena’s place against Vince Velazquez for the 1:05 p.m. start.
No reason was given for Urena’s removal from the lineup, although MLB Network’s Jon Heyman reported that Urena tested positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus. The team announced the move about 90 minutes before first pitch and said no roster moves are being made at this time. The only player left on the Marlins’ taxi squad in Philadelphia is reliever Aaron Northcraft, who isn’t on the 40-man roster.
This marks the second time this series a Marlins player was removed from the lineup shortly before a game. Catcher Jorge Alfaro was placed on the IL for undisclosed reasons about two hours before first pitch on Friday.
Teams do not have to disclose if a player is placed on the COVID-19 related IL. Players on that list do not count against the 40-man roster or the 60-man player pool. They also can’t disclose if a player tested positive without the player’s permission.
Now, a reminder: A player does not necessarily need to test positive for COVID-19 to be placed on the COVID-19 injured list.
Should Urena be out for an extended period of time, the team has Jordan Yamamoto available at their alternate training site in Jupiter.
Urena was the Marlins’ Opening Day starter in both 2018 and 2019 and had made 72 combined starts from 2017 through early 2019 before a herniated disc in his lower back sent him to the injured list on June 12. He stayed on the IL for more than two months and finished the season as a reliever.
Urena impressed during four spring training starts, giving up just two earned runs on 13 hits and one walk with eight strikeouts in 14 innings pitched. Marlins manager Don Mattingly was impressed with his work during summer camp once practices resumed following the three-plus-month layoff due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Dugger, the Marlins’ No. 30 overall prospect according to MLBPipeline, made his MLB debut on Aug. 5 as part of the Marlins’ doubleheader against the Mets and went 0-4 with a 5.77 ERA over the course of seven big-league starts. He relies primarily on a four-seam fastball and a sinker, both of which are generally in the low 90’s, as well as a low 80’s slider and a mid-70’s curveball.
“To be honest, I watched some film from the last seven starts, but I didn’t watch too many because that really wasn’t me,” Dugger said recently. “I had to kind of go to a different approach as my [velocity] was down, my stuff wasn’t as sharp, so I don’t really want to take things from it.”
The Marlins’ batting lineup for Sunday:
1.) Jonathan Villar, designated hitter
2.) Jon Berti, right field
3.) Corey Dickerson, left field
4.) Jesus Aguilar, first base
5.) Brian Anderson, third base
6.) Francisco Cervelli, catcher
7.) Isan Diaz, second base
8.) Miguel Rojas, shortstop
9.) Magneuris Sierra, center field
This story was originally published July 26, 2020 at 11:54 AM.
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