As road trip begins, Marlins lose another key player to injury and call up a top prospect
The injury bug continues to hit the Miami Marlins as they begin a 10-game road trip, and one of the club’s top prospects has been called up to the active roster as a result.
Third baseman Brian Anderson was placed on the 10-day injured list Thursday with a left oblique strain prior to the Marlins’ first game against the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park. Infielder Jose Devers, Miami’s No. 8 overall prospect, was added to the active roster as a corresponding move. The Marlins also added right-handed pitcher Jordan Holloway to the active roster prior to the series.
Miami lost 3-0 to the Giants to begin the four-game series. San Francisco (12-7) scored all three runs in the first against Daniel Castano and held the Marlins (8-10) to just two hits and four baserunners.
Losing Anderson is tough for the Marlins, especially since they are already without center fielder Starling Marte and catcher Jorge Alfaro.
Anderson was a Gold Glove Award finalist last year and has continued to play stellar defense at third. He was only hitting .183 with a .530 OPS through the first 16 games of the season, but there have been a few cases of unluckiness early this year.
Devers, 21, was acquired as part of the Giancarlo Stanton trade and has never played above the Class A Advanced level of the minor-leagues.
He has impressed in the minors, though. He hit .322 across three levels in 2019, the last year there was minor-league baseball (the 2020 season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic). Devers was part of the Marlins’ alternate training site last season and was on the taxi squad during Miami’s playoff run.
“It was a great experience,” Devers told the Miami Herald during spring training. “Being around the big-leaguers, traveling with them, experiencing that moment of them going to the playoffs was a great experience. Even though we’ve made a lot of adjustments because of the pandemic, we’ve been working.”
Devers is primarily a middle infielder but received a lot of reps at third base during spring training as well.
Jon Berti started at third base for a second consecutive game.
In other injury news:
▪ Garrett Cooper (groin) is doing better. Mattingly said Cooper likely could have played first base on Thursday but they wanted to be cautious especially with the other position player injuries. Mattingly also wants him playing in right field on Friday.
“I think we’re at a point where we have enough guys nicked up and beat up that we want to be able to tread water and not let anything get to a point where you’ve got four or five guys down,” Mattingly said. “We’re gonna be careful with Coop.”
▪ Jorge Guzman (right elbow inflammation) had a setback after bullpen session last week and has not been throwing. He will look to resume throwing next week.
▪ Eleiser Hernandez (right biceps) is throwing from 90 feet without issue and is set to throw a bullpen next week.
▪ Sixto Sanchez (right shoulder) is throwing at 60 feet with no issue.
▪ Edward Cabrera (right biceps) is throwing at 105 feet with no issue.
This story was originally published April 22, 2021 at 9:16 PM.
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