Reigning National League Cy Young winner Sandy Alcantara was diagnosed with a UCL sprain earlier this month, but he’s set to make a rehab start in Triple-A Jacksonville tonight, the team announced. Craig Mish of SportsGrid and the Miami Herald, who first reported that Alcantara would start in Jacksonville tonight, tweets that Alcantara has had multiple pain-free bullpen sessions. If things go well in tonight’s rehab appearance, it would seem there’s a real chance that Alcantara could return to the active roster before the end of the season.
It’s surely welcome news for Fish fans, though also perhaps the source of some trepidation. With any injury to the ulnar collateral ligament — the ligament that is replaced in Tommy John surgery — there’s concern of a potential yearlong absence in a worst-case scenario. The majority of UCL injuries tend to result in surgery, though that’s certainly not a universal outcome. Masahiro Tanaka, Ervin Santana, Aaron Nola and Anthony DeSclafani are among the pitchers who have been diagnosed with UCL injuries but avoided surgery. The 28-year-old Alcantara will hope to add his name to that list.
It’s been a tough year for the Miami ace so far. Alcantara has taken the ball 28 times and eaten up 184 2/3 innings, but his 4.14 ERA is nearly two full runs higher than the 2.28 mark that fueled last year’s Cy Young win. Alcantara hasn’t experienced a velocity drop, but his strikeout rate, walk rate, ground-ball rate and home run rate are all worse than in 2022’s career-best season. He’s also given up hard contact at higher levels.
With Alcantara on the shelf, the Marlins have been using Jesus Luzardo, Braxton Garrett, Edward Cabrera and the returning Eury Perez — who’d previously been optioned to the minors to monitor his workload — as their regular starters. Reliever Bryan Hoeing took the ball this past weekend, tossing 4 1/3 innings in his first start since early July. Miami’s starter for tomorrow’s series opener against the Brewers is currently listed as TBD.
The Marlins don’t have any shot at winning the division. The Braves sport MLB’s best record and clinched the NL East some time ago. However, Miami is only a half game out of the third Wild Card spot in the National League. They’re trailing the Cubs for that spot and are one game up on the Reds in the standings. This weekend’s series against the Brewers is a tough task — particularly with Corbin Burnes, Brandon Woodruff and Freddy Peralta lined up to start for Milwaukee — but the Fish close out the season with seven games against the Mets and Pirates, who currently share identical 71-81 records. The Cubs finish with three games in Atlanta and three in Milwaukee. The Reds’ final games will be against the Pirates, Guardians and Cardinals.
plz get blown up tysm xo xo 🙂 LLL -_- \-_-/
-cubs
I mean cubs have a cute story this season. But let’s face it they’re not beating the mighty Dodgers or Braves
-_-
Cringe
Nice. Just in time for the playoff push and the eventual lifting of The Commissioner’s Trophy.
@old York. You have to be joking. The Marlins odds of winning the World Series is so low that if you believe that you should bet on the Marlins. That would be a huge payout.
TBD sure is scheduled to pitch a lot, but he never actually takes the mound. Makes me hope there’s a pitcher named Theodore Brian Davidson, Tristan Bruce Delgado, or something like that in the majors some day who is known by his initials like CES and EDLC.
Tomas Budzinski-Detweiler is P in AA 4KC, we can only hope …
I figured there was a TBD pitching now or in the past. Nice find.
Alcantara never learned to pitch from the stretch. He never had any runners on last year because he doesn’t walk anyone and his BABIP was like .150
This year, his BABIP regressed to the mean, he had normal amounts of runners on, never learned any command from the stretch, and his ERA jumps two runs (to 4.14; still a goon)
Cool
As a Cubs fan, hoping he’s not ready to go on the mound yet sorry Marlins fans but rooting for him to not have great stuff lol
Considering the Cubs are currently gifting a playoff spot to the Marlins, Sandy’s possible return affecting Chicago’s playoff odds is irrelevant
Cubs have decided to start sucking at the worst possible time…
SANDY YOUR ARE PLAYING JUDAS
The majority of UCL injuries resulting in a TMJ is in my opinion a result of our automatically thinking everyone is the same, not understanding why some people heal and others don’t, and trying to optimize value at the expense of what may not be best for a person (although perhaps best for their earnings). I bet it would’ve been better for , say Syndergaard, to spend a few years resting and trying alternatives. But even in cases where it is overwhelmingly successful we never know if it was truly the best option. It’s a risk (and unnatural but a good procedure nonetheless). My problem is if nobody tries alternatives then we will never develop or find any. In regard to Marlins it is a difficult position with an ace. About a 30% chance of making the postseason but it may be worth it but at what cost to Sandy (who knows, maybe none).
I like that they are trying hard. I think getting that first taste of the postseason is huge for a team. Almost no team ever wins the first time but the second or third they often do. Some of this is pure chance and the fact that the first year they are not always as good.
It’s his arm and his career. I say let the boy pitch.
There’s been quite a few players now who opted4 plasma rich injections in elbow n rest over the knife 4ulnar nerve injuries, doesnt always take n surgery is sumtimes required after delay in trying nonsurgical approach, also every arm is different n there R varying degrees of tears, sum like 9rs QB Purdy R off the bone n sum R just the very beginning of small tear, only Doctors, hurt player, n tms see those MRIs, how they plot there course of medical treatment, its case by case, Os closer Bautista is trying to return now after rest 4torn ulnar nerve, sum guys pitch yrs w/that frayed rubberband holding elbow 2gether, u see it when another tm doesn’t like sum1s medicals but there “healthy” n pitching, all depends on how bad tear is
Hey Vince, I’d LIKE to say that’s PRETTY CLOSE to being the LONGEST run-on sentence that I’ve ever read. Unfortunately I can’t HONESTLY say that due to the fact that you didn’t even put a period at the end of your comment. Just sayin …
Too early. He’s being rushed back and will not only injure himself again this year, but will do so much damage, he’ll be out all of next season as well. Shut him down
This is so short sighted. This won’t be a deep playoff run if they get in and they are going to mortgage their ace for it. Alcantara has looked alot like Tanaka did after not having tjs. This year his stuff hasn’t had the bite. This will end up a tear if it isn’t already. Tanaka was effective but not dominate after that ucl injury. He takes up so much of there payroll I wonder why they would do this? It’s not like they have a win now roster. I hope he doesn’t but I see a blown out elbow on the horizon. And another bad contract on the books. Shame.