Latest injury has Marlins ‘walking a tightrope’ with pitching staff. How they’re handling it
Kim Ng got the news of the day out of the way first.
The Miami Marlins general manager announced the team was selecting the contract of left-handed Shawn Morimando and adding him to the active roster prior to Saturday’s game against the New York Mets at loanDepot park. To make room for him on the 26-man active roster, right-handed pitcher Jordan Holloway was placed on the 10-day IL with a right groin strain. To make room for him on the 40-man roster, right-handed pitcher Elieser Hernandez was moved from the 10-day injured list to the 60-day IL (more on that in a moment).
It was a needed move to provide length in the bullpen after the Marlins used 10 pitchers in their 6-5, 12-inning loss to the Mets on Friday to begin the three-game series.
That, however, was just one roster juggling instance Ng and the Marlins’ front office has had to maneuver over the last month with the team’s pitching staff.
“Sometimes when it rains,” Ng said, “it pours.”
They have two top pitching prospects injured in the minors — Sixto Sanchez and Edward Cabrera. Hernandez has also been sidelined since the third game of the season. The Marlins have already used nine starting pitchers this year as they try to round out the final two spots in their rotation after Sandy Alcantara, Pablo Lopez and Trevor Rogers.
They’ve bounced Nick Neidert, Braxton Garrett and Daniel Castano up and down from Triple A Jacksonville. Cody Poteet and Holloway have each made a pair of starts, with Poteet set to make his third on Sunday.
The uncertainty in the final rotation spots has also resulted in the bullpen getting taxed early this year.
Heading into Saturday, Marlins relievers have thrown 177 innings in 44 games — the seventh-most in the majors. The 167 combined appearances by Marlins bullpen arms is fourth behind only the Chicago Cubs (172), San Diego Padres (171) and Atlanta Braves (168).
Friday served as a potential tipping point. Holloway was slated to throw multiple innings after John Curtiss threw the first as an opener. Holloway, however, only managed to throw one inning before leaving with groin soreness. Marlins manager Don Mattingly had no choice but to deploy the rest of his bullpen, mostly for an inning at a time.
And it resulted in yet another move to bring in a fresh arm. Morimando, a 28-year-old with more than 1,000 career minor-league innings but just two big-league appearances, was scheduled to start for Triple A Jacksonville Saturday. He is capable of throwing as many as 90 pitches if needed, Ng said.
“First of all, we had to add another pitcher to help us,” Ng said. “We go through a lot of ‘what if’ scenarios. You’re hoping that Pablo can go six — hopefully seven — and that gives all these guys a breather. If not, Morimando better to be ready to go. We needed to pick a guy who had a lot of pitches available. ... So, if it got to an unfortunate situation today, where we needed that many, he’s going to be the guy.”
But it also presents an interesting dynamic with the Marlins’ roster construction.
Before adding Morimando, the Marlins had just five pitchers on their 40-man roster in the minor leagues: Cabrera, Castano, Garrett, Neidert and Sanchez. Jorge Guzman and Jeff Brigham are also on the 60-day IL.
Sanchez and Cabrera are both rehabbing injuries, Sanchez’s his right shoulder and Cabrera’s his right biceps. Garrett started for Triple A Jacksonville on Friday and Castano started Thursday. Neidert, who is also with the Marlins in Miami but not on the active roster, last pitched Tuesday.
Their options to add a pitcher to their active roster without sacrificing a 40-man spot, as a result, were slim.
“We’ve been walking a tightrope,” Mattingly said. “It’s been tricky.”
Moving Hernandez to the 60-day IL, therefore, was a logical move among their options. Hernandez has not suffered a setback, but he is scheduled to make at least two more rehab starts before returning. That points to an early June return. Since Hernandez went on the injured list April 4, he will now be eligible to return to the active roster on June 3.
‘We’re in this for the long haul’
Sanchez, the Marlins’ top prospect according to MLB Pipeline, has been on a slow progression through his rehab since suffering a right shoulder injury on April 1. He is currently still throwing on flat ground from 120 feet. He still needs to get work off the mound, face live hitters and make rehab starts before having a chance to join the Marlins’ roster.
Sanchez, who the Marlins acquired from the Philadelphia Phillies in the J.T. Realmuto trade in February 2019, made his long-awaited major-league debut with the Marlins during the shortened 2020 season. He made nine starts, including two in the playoffs, and posted a 3.64 ERA with 41 strikeouts against 16 walks through 47 innings.
“We’re in this for the long haul,” Ng said. “I mean, it’s not just about sort of getting him back as quick as we can. Obviously we all want that, but this is really about what he means to this organization and what this means to his career so we have been cautious with him. But look at what he represents for us. We have to treat these guys with great care. We’re early in the season and the way we look at some of this is if we get Sixto back, he’s a great acquisition during a time when other clubs are trading three and four prospects to get that type of guy. For us it’s, again, the idea that anywhere from one to five in a great staff, to add that type of pitcher during that time is going to be a huge add.”
COVID vaccine update
Ng said Saturday the Marlins are “getting closer” to reaching MLB’s threshold of having 85 percent of their players and coaching staff vaccinated against COVID-19, “but not there yet.”
When asked if she anticipates the team hitting the mark, which 14 other teams have already accomplished and would loosen health and safety protocols for the team, Ng said “I hope so.”
This story was originally published May 22, 2021 at 4:05 PM.
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