2:25pm: The Marlins have now formally placed Luzardo on the 15-day injured list with left elbow tightness and recalled Maldonado from Jacksonville. Luzardo tells Christina De Nicola of MLB.com that he feels this IL stint is precautionary and that he’ll only miss one or two starts.
9:35am: Right-hander Anthony Maldonado is being recalled from Triple-A Jacksonville to start tonight’s game, the team has now announced. It’ll be his major league debut. Maldonado is a reliever who’s only pitched 11 2/3 innings over eight appearances this season, so while he could probably give the club multiple innings, it seems the Fish will go with a bullpen game today.
9:22am: The Marlins announced Friday that lefty Jesus Luzardo has been scratched from his scheduled start today and will instead undergo testing on his left elbow. The 26-year-old southpaw experienced discomfort in his most recent bullpen session.
It’s an ominous development for Miami’s Opening Day starter, who’s gotten out to a dreadful start to his season. Through his first five trips to the mound, Luzardo carries a 6.58 ERA in 26 innings. His velocity has held up from last year, but his strikeout rate is down four percentage points (from 28.1% to 24.1%) and his walk rate is up by roughly the same amount (from 7.4% to 11.6%). It’s a far cry from Luzardo’s 2022-23 form, wherein he pitched to a combined 3.48 ERA in 279 frames.
The news is all the more worrisome when considering Luzardo’s injury history. Although he made 32 starts and tossed a career-high 178 2/3 innings last year, that’s hardly been the norm for the talented southpaw. Luzardo had Tommy John surgery during his senior year of high school. The Nationals selected him in the third round of the 2016 draft anyhow and ultimately traded him to the Athletics as part of the package to acquire relievers Ryan Madson and Sean Doolittle. Luzardo continued to climb the minor league ranks and draw considerable prospect fanfare, but he also missed nearly two months of the 2019 season in the minors with a shoulder strain. Oakland flipped him to the Marlins in a 2021 trade for Starling Marte. Luzardo wound up being limited to 18 starts in 2022 because of a forearm strain.
Miami’s rotation has already been devastated by injury. Ace Sandy Alcantara, the 2022 NL Cy Young winner, underwent Tommy John surgery in October and won’t pitch this season. Top prospect Eury Perez, who debuted last season with 91 1/3 innings of 3.15 ERA ball at just 20 years of age, had Tommy John surgery earlier this month. Left-hander Braxton Garrett, who broke out with a 3.63 ERA in 247 2/3 innings from 2022-23, has yet to pitch this season due to a shoulder impingement.
Luzardo now joins that growing list of injured arms, leaving a Miami rotation that projected to be the team’s strength in tatters. Right-hander Edward Cabrera and lefties Ryan Weathers and Trevor Rogers are the team’s three healthy big league starters at present.
Right-hander Sixto Sanchez just made his first start since 2020 but lasted only 2 2/3 innings after opening the season in a bullpen role. He once ranked as an elite pitching prospect but has seen his career derailed by a series of shoulder injuries. He pitched one minor league inning from 2021-23 and is surely on an innings cap this year as a result. Top prospect Max Meyer, who was recently optioned to Triple-A Jacksonville despite a dominant start to the season, will also have his workload managed in 2024 — his first season back from his own Tommy John procedure. It stands to reason that he’ll be back in the Miami rotation at some point — likely sooner than later now — but it’s unclear how many innings can be expected of the former No. 3 overall draft pick.
The Marlins’ season already looked to be effectively over before the first month had drawn to a close. The team currently sits with a 6-20 record and a -47 run differential. The offense ranks 27th in the majors in batting average, 28th in on-base percentage and 29th in slugging percentage. They’ve gotten just five hits from their catchers all season. Any small chance of the Fish climbing out of this hole would’ve required things to break just right for them — including and arguably led by a return to form for their top starter. The obvious hope is that Luzardo will receive a clean bill of health and miss minimal time, but a lengthy absence would only serve as a further nail in the coffin on a catastrophic 2024 season in South Florida.
it’s so over for miami
Is over before started, they didn’t do any significant adquisición.
“Is over before started”…There’s no “significant acquisition” any team can make to overcome Miami’s numerous pitching injuries. It’s probably better they didn’t tie up payroll on large ticket, futile acquisitions. The Astros are cooked too and they foolishly tied up $150M in Abreu/Hader. Now they’ll have to eat/include MASSIVE money(and take a soft return)to move/trade either guy. And signing these expensive free agents will probably cost them pending free agents Tucker & Bregman. Some years it’s just not your time.
That about covers it.
Not trading him in the off-season is looking like a pretty costly mistake. And a relief for any potential trade partners.
Not trading any cheap starter seems costly given the way they pitch today. Signing ANY to expensive long term deals seems risky to the teams.
I wonder if teams overall are okay with pitchers blowing out their elbows within their first few years. Not paying for FA pitchers will lower payroll.
They’ll just bring up the next young arm and require him to throw as hard as possible with as much spin as possible until he breaks, then repeat as needed.
That seems to be how things are going. Every AAA player is waiting in line to be the next to get called up and get hurt throwing hard. You make 750K on the IL and 50K in AAA, I would risk getting hurt too for those numbers.
Watch Sean Doolittle on Foul Territory explain the process the Nationals go through before deciding to add a pitch or make a significant change to a pitcher. It’s thorough. Biomechanics people, doctors, trainers all involved prior to doing anything. They care.
Look at what a disaster the Snell signing will be for SF. At least they’re only on the hook for this year.
casual take
Not entirely true. boras has been including that 2nd player option year lately into his pillow contracts, Snell included. Snell’s is 2025 @30m. Half may be deferred until 2027, but even if Snell may be hurt enough this year that his injury would have him out half (or more) of next season. My guess is 15m next year and another 15m 2y later, plus whatever he would earn 2026 and beyond would be a smart take.
Now also have to consider Boras throws caution to the wind quite often. My thoughts are with rash of elbow injuries last few seasons mounting up? GM’s will stop giving out free injury money like this anyway as was pointed out in an above post in the way of LT FA pitching contracts for 200m+ contracts.
It’s obvious, then only those constantly hammering for share the wealth economics would argue otherwise.
@johnsilver: It’s not just Boras. He can’t make it happen unilaterally. The signing teams agree to the player options.
casual take.
nah nah I’m kidding, I get what you’re saying.
Whatever made you think that? lol
As a Cardinals fan I am actually still interested in Luzardo if he has to have TJ surgery. Obviously the price would be much different now. Cardinals are going nowhere this year and probably next year too. But they need a top of the rotation lefty starter.
If the Cardinals are going nowhere would love to see the Pads and Cards match up in a trade for a veteran starter. Pads have the pieces on the farm to do it.
I imagine most of the Cardinals veteran starters could be had for salary relief. But assuming the Padres are a playoff team might be a bit premature.
Are you the troll or Joel?
@ Tow. I can’t think of a veteran Cardinals SP that the Pads would want other than Sonny Gray and he’s not available
other than Sonny Gray I mean, and he’s not available
@Blackpink in the area
And I still wouldn’t trade him for Herrera.
Yeah you probably want to hold on to Luzardo for the Marlins playoff run.
@Blackpink: What makes you think Luzardo is that top-of-rotation starter, especially if he undergoes TJS?
@swinging wood
Using Hindsight 20/20 in combination with an unpredicatble occurrence like an injury always makes everyone sound smart after the fact.
This phenomenon has to have something to do with Fanatics
“We’re doing everything as we’ve been told and we’re getting the s*** kicked out of us”
“The beatings will continue until morale improves.”
Ain’t that the truth, can’t believe we started the season with no Sandy, no Braxton, no Cabrera, Eury gets hurt immediately and now Luzardo only makes it a month into the season. Luckily Cabrera is back and pitching well, and Mel is a wizard and Weathers is looking very solid. It’s just a lost year for us, and the rebuild is incoming.
At least you got Jazz Chisholm for Zac Gallen and Arraez for Pablo Lopez 🙂
Feel for fans of Miami. One of those seasons where everything seems to be breaking bad
Wow, when it pours it floods for the Marlins! They passed the “when it rains…” part weeks ago.
If Luzardo goes down because the elbow discomfort unfortunately means a tear in the ligament, Marlins should consider a retooling this season and perhaps this off-season only because the season might get even worse than it already has… Good luck Marlins fans.
@Warden of the North(acoss13)
Agreed. We’re done.
BannedMarlinsFanBase,
Hate to say it, but one guy that would be a good trade piece if he’s healthy and productive by the deadline or even before is Chisholm. He’d bring back good talent.
Warden: If you hate to say something, why say it?
Blue Baron,
Well, for one my main account can no longer post, so I can only surmise that someone didn’t like a post and reported it. So now I am especially more cautious with my posts.
Secondly, it’s a form of not coming off as standoffish. Some people call it sugarcoating but I don’t like speaking so direct.
A team would have to give a lot for Jazz.
Although, if Jazz disappoints this year, I may want to do a deal with him in the offseason.
We have hurricanes in Florida. Apparently with our current pouring rain on the Marlins.
Now we need a feel good story of some Wal Mart worker making it to the majors as a pitcher to fill in for a decimated rotation.
I’m ready for the call up. I’ve been working on some nasty pitches in my pitching lab. (By pitching lab I mean throwing batting practice to little leaguers)
Keep the dream alive buddy!
He was just shut down due to elbow soreness. They’re scouting the electronics section of Target as we speak
Anyone know where I can get an online degree in elbow surgery, preferably a six week program?
Cracker Jacks… or University of Phoenix.
@grnmtnyeti
Ask the Marlins. Apparently whoever is trying to protect their young pitchers got one of those degrees.
Miami can’t catch a break, curse of the Marlins.
Kim Ng got in touch with some Haitians on her way out of Miami.
She didn’t need to do that to hurt us. She already did that with the bullpen she built and with Avi Garcia.
I knew it. As soon as he started having poor results I said you watch – sonething is wrong. Look, it’s just a matter of time with almost every pitcher. And it’s only gotten worse since they started pitch counts.
MLB may need to add MRIs to their spot checks for foreign substances.
I wonder if the Marlins would consider LuisAngel Acuna, McNeil, and Kevin Parada for Luis Arraez. I feel as if this would be a good trade for both sides but I can see the Marlins saying no to this
I’d be listening on everyone at this point.
I think the Marlins will want some pitching back in any deal. Lol.
Nope.
LFGMets: A veteran with a big contract like McNeil is of no use to the Marlins. The Mets might have to put Mauricio in that package.
You definitely would have to put in one of the prospects in.
The only way I could see the Marlins taking in McNeil is if the Mets agree to take Avi’s contract off our hands. And still there would need to be some prospect compensation sent our way.
With that ERA, I suspect that discomfort isn’t a recent thing. These guys tend not to speak up until the performance starts suffering.
Yeah, he might have been pitching through pain for a while now but the dam finally broke it seems. As if the Marlins season couldn’t get any worse.
Max Meyer in AAA is a bad look. Kid earned a spot in the bigs.
I was thinking the same thing. They did it last year with eury Perez though and now he’s out with tjs, so I can definitely understand why they don’t want to over do it with him especially since he’s had a tjs of his own. Maybe if they were good and in the playoff hunt, but at this rate they should play out the season before starting their full blown rebuild and playing the kids next year, or after the trade deadline when they ship off most of their expendable players
MLB is starting to look a lot like Triple-A. I don’t recognize most of the pitchers now. Who are Cole Ragans, Kutter Crawford and Zack Wheeler? Must be Triple-A fodder…
Adapt or die
@Old York: Cole Ragins and Zack Wheeler? Are you joking?
I know a fairly recent Cy Young winner they could sign for the league minimum…
I’m waiting….
If there is a legacy for Ng, its that she did not trade away any of her young stud arms for a stud bat, I’m sure the Reds had a match.
Lopez-Arraez?
That might have been an anticipated contract or arbitration issue.. She didnt flip any of the kids.
That wasn’t a caveat. And Lopez signed a team friendly extension with Minn. so there was no contract issue there.
Pablo for Arraez was a howler.
Rut Row
Well, the Marlins are done. Once it is official that Luzardo needs TJS, we need to start doing what needs to be done to have a a foundation in place for 2026. The following is just to start what we need to do for the rest of this season:
Along with the move of Jesus to the 60-day when it happens, they should also DFA Avi Garcia. Bring up Dane Myers. No reason to hold onto the Avi-matic out. And we need to take a look at Myers the rest of the way. And Jesus Sanchez needs to get everyday ABs because him batting against lefties is not much worse than Avi taking those ABs.
As soon as it makes sense return-wise, move Josh Bell, Tim Anderson and Tanner Scott.
For the rest of the year, audition AJ Puk as the Closer, and live with the reults, unless you get a young arm coming up for the bullpen.
When Banfield is ready, bring him up and move on from Bethancourt.
Go sign a couple of SP vets looking for work. And not one single one that will bring drama to the team. I’m talking about signing a guy like Zack Greinke…not any guy like a certain pitcher who could be a problem around the Marlins Mermaids.
Immediately engage Arraez’s representatives about an extension. If he balks at the offer, remain open to a great deal either at the deadline or Winter Meetings. Winter meetings would be the deadline for an extension though, then I trade him for MLB-ready talent that fills needs if he hasn’t signed an extension.
That’s it for the moment.
I wouldn’t offer a long term extension to Arraez. He basically has one exceptional skill. Even though his skill is very exceptional, it’s risky to tie yourself to that kind of player long term. Better to sell high.
These “what a team should do” are usually pie-in-the-sky diatribes, but I have to applaud you: I think you’re basically on the mark. Not sure you can really get ANYTHING for TA and Bell is iffy but Tanner Scott will probably get you a minor league flyer.
I do think it signing Trevor Bauer should be on the table for consideration. His “crimes” pale (IMHO) to those of actual domestic abusers who are pitching now in the major leagues and given the sparse attendance at Marlins games, it’s not like there’ll be a real groundswell of outrage (aside from social media).
Sadly, absent an actual cash infusion from ownership in free agency, this organization is in trouble, because they can’t fill all the holes internally. Bendix has his work cut out for him, and I’ll be surprised if Miami is relevant before 2026 at the earliest.
I agree. Remember that the Marlins worship Jose Fernandez. Bauer’s crimes (see: nonexistent) pale in comparison to Fernandez’s.
@BannedMarlinsFanBase
Excellent assessment in all respects. You’ve nailed all the key aspects of the team’s current situation. Especially concerning Arraez and Myers. I would only add that Bendix needs to take charge and give the team a clear sense of direction. That means hitting it big (for a change) during this year’s amateur draft. And if the Marlins front office STILL doesn’t know to evaluate and draft position players, they’d better learn. I think the work that Mike Elias and his people in Baltimore have done since 2017 can serve as a brilliant example of how to rebuild a franchise and transform it into a powerhouse.
Cue the spooky music!
I always think his name says “Jesus Lizard” which is a great band, btw.