The Marlins picked up a decisive win in last night’s game, but Miami has nonetheless dropped eight of its past 10 games to fall five games out of an NL Wild Card spot. With the team’s playoff hopes dwindling, MLB.com’s Joe Frisaro writes that the Fish are prepared to shut down Jose Fernandez if they slip further out of contention. Miami has hoped to cap Fernandez’s innings around 180, though a postseason berth may have added some extra frames to that limit. Instead, with the young ace already at 160 1/3 innings, skipper Don Mattingly conceded that shutting Fernandez down is “absolutely” a consideration if the team’s losing continues. “We’ll look at that as it goes,” said Mattingly. “Obviously, we’ve been paying attention to his innings all along.”
Marlins Rumors
Marlins Hope To Find Number Two Starter This Winter
- The Marlins will try to find a No. 2 type starter this winter to slot between Jose Fernandez and Wei-Yin Chen, but the usual caveats apply: this offseason bears a historically poor crop of free-agent starting pitching, and the Marlins’ paper-thin farm system makes it difficult to land a high-quality pitcher via trade. Per Heyman, the Marlins are frequently asked about Christian Yelich and J.T. Realmuto but are loath to part with either rising star. He also adds that manager Don Mattingly is strongly in favor of the team re-signing Martin Prado.
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Marlins Activate Giancarlo Stanton
In a surprising turn of events, the Marlins announced that Giancarlo Stanton has been reinstated from the disabled list and activated for tonight’s game against the Phillies. Stanton suffered a Grade 3 groin strain back in mid-August, and it was initially believed that a six-week recovery time was a best case scenario. That would’ve allowed Stanton to return to the Majors, at best, for the final week of the season. However, he’s now set to return to the roster in about half that time.
Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald tweets that for the time being, Stanton will be limited to pinch-hitting duties, though certainly his activation creates some optimism that he could eventually be tabbed for more regular time before season’s end (though Spencer adds that there’s no definitive timeline on Stanton’s return to the lineup).
The 26-year-old Stanton is in the midst of his worst season at the plate, but even a down year for the game’s premier slugger is markedly above-average relative to the rest of the league (121 OPS+, 117 wRC+). At the time he landed on the disabled list, Stanton had a .244/.329/.496 batting line with 25 homers, but he’d been on a blistering hot streak dating back to mid-June. In 48 games leading up to his injury, Stanton had posted an outstanding .299/.361/.582 batting line with 13 homers, raising his OPS 108 points in the process.
Of course, it remains to be seen how Stanton’s groin injury will impact his ability to hit, even in a limited role. His mere presence on the bench, however, will factor into the decision-making process of rival managers, as will the presence of returning first baseman Justin Bour, who was also activated from the DL today. In Stanton and Bour, the Fish will get their two top power threats back into the mix as they look to stay alive in the National League Wild Card race. Miami has dropped a dreadful nine of its past 10 games, falling to five games back of the second Wild Card spot in the Senior Circuit.
Marlins Designate Kendry Flores, Activate Justin Bour
The Marlins have designated righty Kendry Flores for assignment, the club announced. His 40-man slot was needed for the activation of first baseman Justin Bour from the 60-day DL. Miami has also promoted lefties Hunter Cervenka and Justin Nicolino as well as utilityman Yefri Perez.
The 24-year-old Flores was injured during his lone MLB outing of the year, and has spent the bulk of the season at Triple-A. He hasn’t quite followed up on a strong 2015 campaign, spinning 102 innings of 4.15 ERA pitching while compiled 7.1 K/9 against 3.4 BB/9.
Among the call-ups, the return of Bour is certainly the most anticipated. He has been a pleasant surprise at the plate this year, to say the least. Over 242 plate appearances, Bour owns a .268/.347/.526 slash with 15 home runs. The 28-year-old has struggled in strictly-managed action against opposing southpaws, so he’s a limited player, but Miami will certainly hope he provides a jolt as the team looks to scratch its way back into contention.
Ichiro Suzuki Hopes To Return To Marlins In 2017
- Marlins outfielder Ichiro Suzuki hopes to play again in 2017 and would like to stay in Miami, per the report. With his club option valued at only $2MM, that may be a fairly easy pick-up for the organization. Playing in his age-42 season in 2016, Ichiro has compiled a useful .294/.365/.366 batting line over 296 plate appearances, continues to rate as an average or better fielder and overall baserunner, and has even cracked double-digit stolen bases for the 16th-straight season.
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Marlins Promote Ogando, Ellington, Telis, Hood; Designate Raudel Lazo
The Marlins announced a series of roster moves to take advantage of expanded September rosters. The team recalled righties Nefi Ogando and Brian Ellington, along with catcher Tomas Telis, while also selecting the contract of outfielder Destin Hood. That last move required a 40-man spot, which was opened when Miami designated lefty Raudel Lazo.
Ogando, 27, has minimal major league experience but owns a 3.08 ERA in 52 2/3 career Triple-A frames. Ellington, 26, has permitted only ten earned runs over his 44 2/3 innings in the majors over the last two years, though he has accomplished that while compiling only 7.3 K/9 against 4.8 BB/9. He has struggled with command at Triple-A this year, but his upper-nineties fastball has helped him generate 14.0 K/9 in 34 2/3 frames at the highest level of the minors.
While those two players add depth to the Miami pen, Telis and Hood will represent additional options in the position player ranks. Telis has been productive at Triple-A, slashing .310/.362/.429 over 368 plate appearances, but has a long way to go to make up for the fact that the Fish parted with Sam Dyson to get him last year.
As for Hood, this represents his first major league action. The 26-year-old was once seen as a fairly promising prospect with the Nationals, but he hadn’t yet earned a call-up. His current .267/.316/.435 Triple-A slash doesn’t exactly scream “promotion,” but he has some speed and pop that could come in handy off of the bench.
Lazo reached the majors last year after a quality season at Triple-A. He fared well in a brief big league stint, but hasn’t yet been asked back despite some solid numbers. The 27-year-old Cuban has pitched at three levels of the minors this year, mostly at the highest, compiling a composite 2.68 ERA with 7.9 K/9 and 2.1 BB/9.
Marlins Place David Phelps On 15-Day DL
The Marlins have placed righty David Phelps on the 15-day DL with a left oblique strain, the club announced. Righty Jake Esch is coming up to take a start for Phelps.
The move is retroactive to August 27th, so Phelps can be available to return before mid-September. It’s not yet clear whether the injury will keep him out past that point or not.
Losing Phelps is a major blow to a Miami club that is already showing signs of cracking in the postseason race. He has been remarkably effective all year long, first posting top-quality results over 54 1/3 relief innings and then turning in five excellent starts when a need arose in the rotation.
Regardless of how things turn out over the final month or so of the season, Phelps has turned himself into quite a value for Miami. He will earn a raise on his current $2.5MM salary, but comes with two more seasons of arbitration control.
Conley, Chen Could Return In Late September
- Marlins lefty Adam Conley has been cleared by doctors to resume throwing and played catch Tuesday for the first time since going on the disabled list, per MLB.com’s Joe Frisaro. Barring any further setbacks in his recovery from tendinitis in his left middle finger, he could return to the Miami rotation in three weeks, Frisaro adds. Furthermore, he writes, lefty Wei-Yin Chen is progressing through a throwing program as he rehabs an elbow strain and is also a possibility for a late-September return. Getting either southpaw back would be a boon to a Marlins rotation that is trying to keep the team afloat in the Wild Card hunt. Miami dropped its fourth straight game today but is still a very manageable 3.5 games back from the second Wild Card spot in the National League.
How Did The Marlins End Up In Contention In 2016?
- The Marlins are finally making good, to some extent, on the hopes and expectations that they carried into the 2015 season, and Patrick Dubuque of Baseball Prospectus breaks down the roster moves that set the stage for an interesting 2016 campaign. While most pundits were down on the organization’s dealings, many haven’t turned out as badly as feared. In the meantime, the club has received highly unexpected results from many players — some negative, but many quite positive (albeit questionably sustainable). Dubuque remains bearish on the Miami organization; you’ll want to give his piece a full read to gather the details.
Marlins Sign David Lough
The Marlins have signed outfielder David Lough to a minor league deal, according to Baseball America’s Matt Eddy. He’ll be joined in the organization by infielder Danny Muno, who was also just inked.
Lough, 30, had been with the Phillies this year but was recently given his release. Over 79 plate appearances at the major league level, he compiled only a .239/.342/.313 batting line, though he did manage to accumulate 9 walks against only 8 strikeouts. The numbers haven’t been all that much more promising at Triple-A, where Lough carries a .270/.329/.369 batting line in his 156 plate appearances — including four games worth of action in the Miami organization.
Still, the Fish are likely not planning to ask much of Lough if and when he makes it to the majors. He has typically rated as a quality defender and baserunner, and might well add some value in a limited role once rosters expand in just a few days.
