Jesus Sanchez debuts, Jorge Alfaro returns from COVID absence and latest on Sixto Sanchez
The Miami Marlins made a bevvy of roster moves Friday before they opened a five-game series against the Washington Nationals with wide-ranging effects on the team’s short- and long-term plans.
The biggest additions Friday were Jorge Alfaro and Jesus Sanchez, who immediately entered the starting lineup at Nationals Park, and Monte Harrison is heading down to the alternate training site to help make room for the two new hitters. Here’s a rundown of all the implications:
Jesus Sanchez makes MLB debut
For the first time this year, the Marlins (9-9) will have one of MLB’s top-100 prospects make his Major League debut.
Sanchez, the No. 88 overall prospect in the MLB.com rankings and the No. 5 prospect in the organization, is in the lineup Friday in Washington, batting eighth and playing right field.
The outfielder, who joined Miami last year in a trade with the Tampa Bay Rays, finished last season in Triple A and began 2020 at the alternate training site in Jupiter. After he joined the organization last year, Sanchez batted .246 with four home runs in 65 at-bats for Triple A New Orleans.
“He brings power, a guy that we know can swing the bat pretty well,” manager Don Mattingly said. “He was obviously one of the guys in Jupiter that had been swinging the best. We felt like it was the time, so we’ll see what Jesus can do.”
Sanchez, 22, said he talked to first baseman Jesus Aguilar for advice heading into his MLB debut. He arrives as Miami is still short-handed in the outfield with Garrett Cooper and Harold Ramirez still sidelined by COVID-19. Both those outfielders, however, have begun training at Roger Dean Stadium, so Sanchez’s stay in the majors could be brief.
The right-handed hitter from the Dominican Republic is going to make the most of whatever he time he gets with the Marlins.
“I believe the team needs me, and I think I need them, too,” Sanchez said through an interpreter. “I’m here to help in any way I can.”
Jorge Alfaro returns from coronavirus
Alfaro is the second of the Marlins’ 18 players sidelined by the coronavirus to return to the active roster.
On Thursday, shortstop Miguel Rojas returned to the lineup for the first time in nearly a month before Miami’s series finale against the New York Mets was postponed because of positive tests by the Mets. On Friday, Rojas will play for the first time since the Marlins’ season-opening series in July and Alfaro will play for the first time all season.
“It really just is getting us back closer to our team,” Mattingly said.
Rojas was and will be the everyday shortstop for Miami, and he’s batting ninth Friday. Alfaro was slated to be the starting catcher before he was the first Marlin to test positive for the virus last month, triggering baseball’s largest outbreak.
On Friday, Alfaro returns as the designated hitter, batting fifth. Catcher Francisco Cervelli has been a bright spot for Miami early this season, and the two catchers will split time behind the plate. Alfaro, who didn’t get to catch a nine-inning simulating game while rehabilitating, will catch one of the seven-inning games Saturday as part of a doubleheader against the Nationals (9-12) to continue building toward full strength.
Mattingly doesn’t expect Alfaro or Cervelli to DH too often, although Alfaro will be an option there against left-handed pitchers.
“Those guys are a team as far as controlling the game, but also understanding our pitchers and leading those guys,” Mattingly said, “so I really want those guys to work in tandem, not like one guy’s the guy and the other guy just plays once a week.”
Monte Harrison heads to minors
Harrison is the most notable casualty of the Marlins’ shifting roster. The outfielder, a top-10 prospect in the organization, has struggled at the plate early in his rookie season, batting .133 with three walks.
In 33 plate appearances, the 24-year-old has 18 strikeouts and just four hits, but Mattingly still spoke positively of the rookie after Miami optioned him back the training site.
“Monte’s just got to make adjustments with his swing. That’s really the only thing. There’s nothing you don’t like about Monte, but he does have some work he’s going to need to get done down there,” Mattingly said. “Honestly, I think Monte’s going to get it and when Monte gets it it’s going to be another animal. I just look at him as there’s nothing this guy can’t do on the field, but we have to be able to get the swing lined out.”
Sixto Sanchez on taxi squad
Sixto Sanchez wasn’t activated Friday, but the starting pitcher is with the team this weekend as part of the taxi squad. Still, Mattingly won’t commit to the right-handed pitcher starting one of the two games Saturday.
“We haven’t announced that. I think everybody knows Sixto’s here on our taxi squad, so he’s not active as of right now, and we’ll see what this game looks like today and make that decision tomorrow.”
Sanchez is the top prospect in the organization and the No. 24 overall prospect in baseball. The 22-year-old Dominican joined the Marlins in 2018 as the centerpiece of their trade sending star catcher J.T. Realmuto to the Philadelphia Phillies. He spent most of last year with Double A Jacksonville, posting a 2.53 ERA with 97 strikeouts, 19 walks and a 1.03 WHIP in 18 starts.
The rest of the moves
Richard Bleier is also back from the injured list after missing the last two weeks with a triceps strain. The relief pitcher made three appearances earlier this year, throwing 4 2/3 shutout innings with five strikeouts and no walks.
To make room for Bleier and the other additions, Miami also optioned catcher Ryan Lavarnway to the alternate site and placed Eddy Alvarez on the paternity list. The utility infielder was expecting the birth of his child Friday.
This story was originally published August 21, 2020 at 5:22 PM.
