Three injured Miami Marlins nearing a return. The updates on each
While the Miami Marlins are making moves ahead of MLB’s trade deadline on Tuesday, they are also closing in on getting some internal reinforcements.
Three players on the injured list — outfielders Avisail Garcia and Jazz Chisholm Jr. along with left-handed relief pitcher Andrew Nardi — are nearing returns to the active roster, which will only fortify Miami’s status as they continue to push for a spot in the playoffs with about two months left in the regular season.
“It just feels like we haven’t had our full squad the whole year, honestly,” Marlins manager Skip Schumaker said Saturday. “It’s exciting.”
Of the three, Garcia is the closest to returning. The veteran outfielder is expected to be activated on Sunday for the Marlins’ series finale against the Detroit Tigers.
Garcia has been on the injured list since April 29 with back tightness. He started a rehab assignment in May 27 only to be recalled from it shortly afterward due to a setback. He resumed a rehab assignment on July 18 and played nine total games between Double A Pensacola and Triple A Jacksonville, hitting .276 (8 for 29) with three doubles, two home runs, eight RBI, seven runs scored and seven walks against five strikeouts. He safely reached base in every game.
“I was just trying to focus on what I was feeling [good about] before I got hurt,” said Garcia, who had just a .188 batting average in 22 MLB games before the injury but had hits in nine of his final 11 starts. “I was opening my stance a little bit. I was trying to feel comfortable, to see the ball good, swing at strikes and don’t think too much.”
Chisholm, who is sidelined with a left oblique strain, is beginning a rehab assignment on Sunday with Single A Jupiter. How he fares in that game will determine his next steps, whether that’s rejoining the big-league club or continuing his rehab assignment in the upper levels of the minor leagues.
This is Chisholm’s second IL stint. He missed six weeks with turf toe on his right foot before this.
“He’s different,” Schumaker said. “I don’t think he’s gonna need as much as maybe most guys would take or need. When you watch him [Friday] taking batting practice, he’s hitting them in the second deck off the velo machine. Then he went to the curveball machine and you’re seeing them go to the second deck. He’s running around the outfield and looks fine. The toe is recovered. The oblique is feeling good. He feels good. He feels ready.”
As for Nardi, Schumaker said the organization needs to see him pitch on back-to-back days before bringing him back to the active roster. The hope is for him to be back by Tuesday, Schumaker said.
That would just be another reinforcement to the bullpen after the Marlins acquired Jorge Lopez from the Minnesota Twins on Wednesday and David Robertson from the New York Mets on Friday.
In other roster moves, the Marlins optioned Bryan Hoeing to Triple A Jacksonville to make room for Robertson on the active roster.
This story was originally published July 29, 2023 at 3:42 PM.
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