The Miami Marlins’ roster is nearly set. Here are the final spots up for grabs
With spring training in its final days, less than a handful of spots on the Miami Marlins’ 28-man roster to open the 2022 season remain up for grabs.
The starting rotation is set. Twelve of 13 position-player spots are locked up. Most of the bullpen is assembled as well, especially after the team acquired two relievers — right Cole Sulser and lefty Tanner Scott — in a trade with the Baltimore Orioles.
“We’re not done with the roster yet,” Mattingly said Sunday before the Marlins’ spring training game against the New York Mets at Port St. Lucie’s Clover Park. “Still could be some wrinkles in there that we can talk about.”
What exactly are those wrinkles? Let’s dive in.
Extended rosters to start
Because of the shortened spring training caused by MLB’s 99-day lockout, active rosters will have 28 players until May 2 before going down to 26 players. During that first month of the season when rosters are at 28 players, there are no restrictions on the number of pitchers a team can carry. However, once May 2 arrives, rosters have to include 13 pitchers and 13 position players.
Mattingly has mentioned multiple times the Marlins will most likely go with 15 pitchers to start, a move that makes sense considering pitchers had less time to get built up and the universal designated hitter making it easier for team’s to use shorter benches. That means Miami will have 10 bullpen arms along with their starting rotation of Sandy Alcantara, Pablo Lopez, Trevor Rogers, Elieser Hernandez and Jesus Luzardo.
So who are the bullpen arms?
Marlins have seven relief pitchers as virtual locks for the Opening Day roster: Righties Anthony Bass, Anthony Bender, Zach Pop and Sulser as well as lefties Richard Bleier, Steven Okert and Scott.
Dylan Floro and Sean Guenther both slated to start the season on the injured list.
That leaves three bullpen spots open.
Righties Cody Poteet and Paul Campbell as well as lefty Daniel Castano are options to be long relievers. Campbell and Castano have been built up as starters during spring training and could start the season on the taxi squad.
Louis Head an non-roster invitees Shawn Armstrong (a righty) and Grant Dayton (a lefty) are also candidates. Miami would have to free up room on their 40-man roster for either Armstrong or Dayton to be on the Opening Day roster.
The final position player spot
With 15 pitchers projected on the Opening Day roster, that leaves 13 position player spots.
A dozen of them are set with catchers Jacob Stallings and Payton Henry, first basemen Jesus Aguilar and Garrett Cooper, infielders Jazz Chisholm Jr., Miguel Rojas and Joey Wendle; outfielders Avisail Garcia, Jesus Sanchez and Jorge Soler; and utility players Brian Anderson and Jon Berti.
Those are the only 40-man roster position players still in camp except for infielder Jose Devers, who is hitting and fielding ground balls but is not throwing while recovering from offseason shoulder surgery.
That points to either utility player Willians Astudillo or outfielder Roman Quinn — both non-roster invitees still in camp — breaking spring training with the team.
How they handle that final position player spot is still undecided. Quinn is a natural center fielder who can be used as both a late-inning defensive replacement and pinch-runner. Astudillo is a more consistent hitter who gives depth at first base, third base and catcher.
Regardless, the Marlins will have to clear a spot on the 40-man roster for either player.
This story was originally published April 3, 2022 at 1:15 PM.
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