Brian Anderson (shoulder) out ‘several weeks.’ What are Marlins’ third base options?
The Miami Marlins lost more than just a game on Tuesday. Their 2-0 shutout loss to the Philadelphia Phillies at loanDepot park was the least of their concerns in the grand scheme of the season.
Especially with one of their key players, one who was finally getting into a groove, is going to miss extended time.
The Marlins (23-25) placed third baseman Brian Anderson on the 10-day injured list prior to Tuesday’s game with left shoulder subluxation — essentially a partial dislocation. Marlins general manager Kim Ng said Anderson will be out “at least several weeks” and was unsure as of game time Tuesday if Anderson will eventually need surgery.
“The most important thing for us right now,” Ng said, “is to give it some time to let the inflammation and the pain and discomfort subside before we can give any further evaluation.”
Anderson was removed from Monday’s win over the Phillies in the third inning due to the injury, which was aggravated after he slid into third base in the second inning before scoring. Jon Berti, who pinch-hit for Anderson and took over at third base on Monday, started at third base Tuesday.
Isan Diaz was added back to the active roster after being placed on the injured list for undisclosed reasons on Sunday. A reminder: Teams don’t have to explicitly state why a player was placed on the injured list if it is related in some fashion to COVID-19, including potential vaccine reactions. There is also minimal time required to be on the injured list if the move is COVID-19 related.
Diaz and Berti are the Marlins’ primary candidates to replace Anderson at third base. In a perfect scenario, the Marlins want to keep their middle infield combination of Miguel Rojas at shortstop and Jazz Chisholm Jr. at second base intact.
Diaz has never played third base at the big-league level but he has been taking practice reps there, both at the alternate training site before being recalled to the active roster on April 28 and in pregame warmup sessions. He has played in 18 games so far this season, posting a .143 batting average with two home runs, eighth RBI and three runs scored.
“We could switch things up a little bit,” Marlins manager Don Mattingly said Tuesday. “Comfortable with Bert over there. ... Isan’s feeling good. He was out there taking groundballs. We’ll see where he’s at. It will be a little bit different. We had worked Isan over there to make sure he had some experience there.”
Diaz said earlier this season that he spent time at the alternate training site trying to get used to his positioning at third base and adjusting his throwing motion — he can’t use the underhand/side arm throwing motion he’s accustomed to at second base when playing at third.
“I feel like I’m getting more comfortable over there the more I continue to take groundballs and watch video,” Diaz said.
This is Anderson’s second IL stint this season. He previously missed 11 games with a left oblique strain. Berti started every game at third base the last time Anderson went on the IL, but the Marlins also value his versatility to play second base, shortstop and the outfield.
Anderson, in addition to playing solid defense at third base, is hitting .250 this year with six doubles, three home runs, 11 RBI and 13 runs scored this season. He was hitting .458 (11 for 24) with six runs scored and six walks over his past eight games before the injury.
“It’s not ideal, obviously,” Ng said. “And he did it going hard like he does. It’s a tough loss for his bat to be out of the lineup, especially when he was just starting to come on.”
Game notables
▪ Chisholm reached base each of his first three plate appearances but was thrown out on the basepaths twice. He led off the first with a single, stole second and was caught stealing third. He also hit a single in the sixth and was tagged out trying to extend it to a double. He walked in the third and struck out in the eighth. Chisholm appeared to have hurt his leg during his eighth-inning at-bat. Diaz, who was used as a pinch-hitter in the bottom of the eighth, replaced Chisholm defensively at second base in the ninth.
▪ Sandy Alcantara threw a season-high eight innings on Tuesday, holding the Phillies (24-25) to two runs on two hits and a walk while striking out four. Both runs he allowed came on a Rhys Hoskins home run with two outs in the fourth inning. Alcantara retired the final 13 batters he faced after giving up the home run.
▪ The Marlins’ main scoring chances came in the third and seventh. They loaded the bases against Vince Velasquez in the third on a Berti single and back-to-back two out walks from Chisholm and Rojas, but Jesus Aguilar’s hard-hit line drive landed straight into Phillies left fielder Brad Miller’s glove. Miami had runners on the corners in the seventh with two outs but Berti grounded out to end the threat.
This story was originally published May 25, 2021 at 5:38 PM.
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