Miami Marlins option these two relievers to get roster down to 28 players
The Miami Marlins optioned a pair of relievers Thursday afternoon with Major League Baseball trimming active rosters from 30 players to 28.
The Marlins’ two casualties of MLB’s roster shrinkage: Left-handed pitchers Brian Moran and Josh D. Smith.
Both, however, will stay as part of the team’s taxi squad for the remainder of the road trip, which continues with Thursday’s series finale against the Baltimore Orioles, a Friday-through-Sunday matchup with the New York Mets at Citi Field and two games against the Toronto Blue Jays in Buffalo, New York, on Tuesday and Wednesday. MLB and the MLB Players Association agreed Wednesday night to increase the taxi squad limit for road trips from three players to five. They also announced that this round of roster reduction will be the only one for the season. Originally, teams were going to have to cut their active rosters to 26 players on Aug. 20.
Miami’s 28-man active roster now has 15 pitchers and 13 position players.
The Marlins acquired Moran and Smith off waivers last week after losing eight members of their bullpen to the COVID-19 outbreak that ultimately impacted 18 players who were part of the active roster. One of those 18 was a member of the team’s taxi squad.
Moran, who made his MLB debut last season with the Marlins before being designated for assignment in the offseason, threw an inning in the second game of Wednesday’s doubleheader sweep of the Orioles. He faced four batters, striking out three and walking one and earned the win. The 31-year-old made 10 appearances out of the bullpen for the Marlins last season, all in September, giving up three earned runs and striking out 10 during 6 1/3 innings.
Smith, like Moran, was also part of the Marlins’ roster to close out the 2019 season. He made 14 appearances out of the bullpen overall last year, six with the Marlins in September after being acquired by the Cleveland Indians. Smith did not play in any of the three games against the Orioles since joining the active roster on Tuesday.
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