The Marlins have their leader back, and he’s ready to get Miami out of its recent rut
He spent the past two weeks watching from a distance as his team went through its ebbs and flows while he recovered from the novel coronavirus like 17 of his teammates. He was their biggest cheerleader from his couch and on social media. It was all he could do as he focused on his health.
Now, he’s back where he is supposed to be. Back in the lineup. Back at shortstop. Back playing baseball.
Welcome back, Miguel Rojas.
Rojas, the clubhouse’s indisputable leader who was among the 18 players who tested positive for COVID-19 early on the Marlins’ first road trip of the 2020 season, returned to the active roster prior to Thursday’s series finale against the New York Mets that was ultimately postponed after two members of the Mets organization tested positive for the coronavirus.
“The most important thing is that I’m healthy,” Rojas said, “and I’m coming back 100 percent healthy. My heart is good and all that kind of stuff is taken care of. I’m excited to know that I’m going to be with the guys and can grind with them for the final 42 games of the season.”
Rojas was one of a few players who experienced mild symptoms, including fever, sore throat and headaches, after testing positive. He, like the rest of his teammates, was cleared to start practicing at the Marlins’ alternate training site in Jupiter last weekend and spent a handful of days facing some of the Marlins’ top pitching prospects before being cleared to return.
With that said, Rojas is a realist. He knows he’s not in the same shape physically as he was on Opening Day. He will likely have some off days weaved into the early portion of his return.
But he’s back now, even though he won’t get to play a game at Marlins Park like he hoped before the team begins its next road trip, which starts Friday with five games in four days against the Washington Nationals. The trip concludes with a three-game series against the Mets, although a doubleheader will likely be played on one of the three days to make up Thursday’s postponed contest.
“I feel like this is Opening Day for me,” Rojas said, “especially because I’m playing in Miami. I hold very strong feelings for this city, for this community and for the 305.”
His presence alone will hopefully be a spark the Marlins need after dropping five consecutive games and being outscored 30-11 in that span. Rojas is a vocal leader in the Marlins’ clubhouse, their top defensive player and was off to a strong start offensively (.700 batting average, five RBI, four runs scored in three games) before contracting the virus.
“It’s good to have him back, No. 1, just because he’s a field manager out there and can kind of direct some things,” Marlins manager Don Mattingly said. “He doesn’t miss much out on the field.”
The Marlins have made more than 70 roster moves this season, the bulk of which came after their impromptu weeklong hiatus following the COVID-19 outbreak in Philadelphia. The team has had to mix and match with all portions of its game — the lineup, the starting rotation, the bullpen — during the past 15 games since returning to the field. That will continue until the rest of the players on the COVID-19 Related Injured List return.
“We’re gonna need our guys back,” Mattingly said. “Teams are too talented out there that you can just think you’re going to go throw stuff together and you’re gonna be a playoff team. We’re gonna need our guys back, and then we’re gonna need to perform.”
When they come back is the tricky portion. The Marlins start an eight-game, seven-day road trip on Friday. Due to health and safety protocols in place because of COVID-19, commercial flights are supposed to be limited, meaning players who are going to be part of a team’s roster on the road need to travel with the team as part of the active roster or the taxi squad from the start of the trip.
“We are getting guys closer to being ready,” Mattingly said. “We haven’t made any final calls on any of that yet.”
Two prospects being called up
More reinforcements are on the way for the Marlins’ next road trip as well.
Top pitching prospect Sixto Sanchez and outfield prospect Jesus Sanchez are expected to be called up and travel with the team for its next road trip, a source confirmed to the Miami Herald.
The Marlins during the past two seasons have been cautious with Sixto Sanchez, the top prospect in their organization and the No. 24 overall prospect in baseball according to MLBPipeline.
He’s in a better place now than he was when spring training began in February. Sanchez, the headliner on the Marlins’ return from the J.T. Realmuto trade with the Philadelphia Phillies, didn’t see action in Grapefruit League games. He was out of shape. The Marlins had to ease him back into baseball activities and limited him to mostly drill work and bullpen sessions.
“I’ve been working hard. I’ve been working for this moment,” Sanchez said. “In the Dominican Republic, I was working to make sure I was at my best. Then when I came back I was ready to go. Just waiting for my moment.”
Jesus Sanchez, the fifth-ranked prospect in the organization, came to the Marlins as part of a trade with the Tampa Bay Rays at the 2019 trade deadline last July. He’s a career .296 hitter who would likely play in either of the corner outfield spots.
Miami Herald sportswriter Barry Jackson contributed to this report.
This story was originally published August 20, 2020 at 4:52 PM.
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