Marlins Select Jeff Lindgren
The Marlins selected the contract of right-hander Jeff Lindgren from Triple-A today, with Lindgren set to act as the 27th player for Miami’s scheduled double-header with the Guardians. Right-hander Tommy Nance was moved to the 60-day injured list to create a 40-man roster spot.
Lindgren was designated for assignment and then outrighted off Miami’s 40-man roster earlier this month, after he’d made his MLB debut. That first game came in somewhat unexpected fashion, as an early injury to starter Johnny Cueto meant that Lindgren was called upon to pitch five innings of relief work (allowing four ER on four hits and three walks) in the Marlins’ 11-1 loss to the Twins on April 3.
It’s possible that Lindgren’s latest trip to the Show might only last through the doubleheader, but the 26-year-old might get another chance to show Miami’s coaching staff what he can do against big league hitters. Lindgren was a 24th-round pick for the Marlins in 2019 draft, and has worked almost exclusively as a starter since the beginning of the 2021 season. His work at Triple-A Jacksonville (both last season and this season) has been shaky, with only a 5.26 ERA over 78 2/3 innings for the Marlins’ top affiliate.
Nance has yet to pitch this season due to a strain in his throwing shoulder, and his move to the 60-day IL is backdated from his initial placement on the 15-day IL. As such, Nance won’t be eligible for activation until the end of May, which might represent something of a setback considering that he seemed to be making decent progress. Just yesterday, the Marlins told reporters that Nance had thrown a 30-pitch bullpen session. It could be that Nance emerged from that session with some shoulder soreness, or the 60-day IL placement could simply indicate that Nance might need more build-up time considering that he missed most of Spring Training.
Marlins Outright Jeff Lindgren
The Marlins have sent right-hander Jeff Lindgren outright to Triple-A Jacksonville, according to his transactions log at MLB.com. The rookie hurler went unclaimed on waivers after being designated for assignment on Tuesday.
Lindgren, a 24th-round draftee in 2019, was just called up for his MLB debut on Monday. The Illinois State product was called upon almost immediately, as he was pressed into long relief after Johnny Cueto left his start due to injury. Lindgren tossed five innings of four-run ball, allowing four hits and walking three without recording a strikeout. He tallied 80 pitches.
Miami subsequently DFA Lindgren to get a fresh arm, Daniel Castano, in the bullpen. It was an unfortunate but not entirely unexpected turn of events for the 26-year-old, as it’s fairly common for pitchers towards the back of the depth chart to lose their roster spot as teams cycle through fresh arms. Now that he’s gone unclaimed on waivers, he’ll head back to Jacksonville and remain in the organization without occupying a 40-man spot. Lindgren has never previously been outrighted and doesn’t have the requisite service time to elect free agency.
Lindgren worked as rotation depth in the minors last season. He started 27 games between Double-A Pensacola and Jacksonville, working to a 4.21 ERA in 136 2/3 cumulative innings. He’d yet to make a minor league appearance this season before being promoted.
Marlins To Place Johnny Cueto, Joey Wendle On IL
The Marlins have made a batch of roster moves, per their transactions tracker at MLB.com. Left-hander Braxton Garrett and infielder Garrett Hampson were recalled from the minors, while left-hander Daniel Castano had his contract selected. In corresponding moves, right-hander Johnny Cueto was placed on the 15-day injured list with right biceps tightness, infielder Joey Wendle was placed on the 10-day injured list with a right intercostal strain and right-hander Jeff Lindgren was designated for assignment. Craig Mish of the Miami Herald reported some of these moves earlier today (Twitter links).
Cueto, 37, signed a one-year, $8.5MM deal with the Marlins this offseason, with that deal containing a club option for 2024. The veteran had a strong bounceback in 2022 after struggling with injuries and underperformance in the preceding seasons. With the White Sox last year, he tossed 158 1/3 innings with a 3.35 ERA. He struck out just 15.7% of batters he faced but limited walks to a tiny 5.1% rate. He made his debut with the Marlins last night but departed after throwing just 30 pitches, having already allowed four runs while recording only three outs.
It’s unclear how long the club expects Cueto to be out of action but this IL placement indicates it will be at least a couple of weeks. In his absence, they should still have a strong front four of Sandy Alcantara, Jesús Luzardo, Trevor Rogers and Edward Cabrera. Garrett opened in the season in a long relief role but was optioned just yesterday. He’d normally have to wait 15 days before rejoining the team but an exception is made when someone is placed on the injured list. He will likely jump into the back of the rotation after posting a 3.58 ERA in 17 starts last year.
Lindgren, 26, was only just added to the roster yesterday. When Cueto departed with his injury, Lindgren stepped in and tossed five innings of emergency long relief, allowing four earned runs, four walks and three hits without recording a strikeout. The Fish will have one week to trade him or pass him through waivers. He tossed 136 2/3 innings in the minors last year with a 4.21 ERA, 20% strikeout rate and 9.1% walk rate.
Since Lindgren tossed 80 pitches last night, he likely wouldn’t have been available for a few days. In his stead, Castano will likely take over the long man gig. The left-hander has thrown 85 2/3 innings for the Marlins over the previous three seasons, posting a 3.89 ERA despite a 12% strikeout rate. He’s kept his walks down to a 7.5% clip and gotten grounders on 44.5% of balls in play. He was designated for assignment in January when Cueto’s signing became official but cleared waivers and stuck with the organization, now getting his roster spot back. He tossed six innings in a Triple-A start on Friday and should be able to eat some innings if needed.
Wendle, 33 later this month, was bumped up to the club’s top shortstop option with this offseason’s trade of Miguel Rojas to the Dodgers. Wendle sat out last night’s game due to oblique soreness, which has now been diagnosed as a strain. It’s not known how long he is expected to be out but even mild oblique/intercostal strains can lead to weeks-long absences.
With Wendle on the shelf, the Fish will likely turn to Jon Berti and Hampson to cover the shortstop position. The latter had spent his entire career with the Rockies until he was non-tendered at the end of last season. The Marlins signed him to a minor league deal and then selected him to the 40-man in mid-March to prevent him from triggering an opt-out. Hampson has never hit much, posting a career batting line of .235/.296/.370 despite playing half his games at Coors Field. But he does have 52 stolen bases in 419 career games and the ability to play all over the field. He’s played the three infield positions to the left of first base as well as some time in center and left.
Marlins Select Jeff Lindgren
The Marlins announced a few roster moves to reporters today, including Daniel Álvarez-Montes of El Extra Base. Right-hander Jeff Lindgren has been selected to the club’s roster. Left-hander Braxton Garrett was optioned to open a spot on the active roster while right-hander Nic Enright was transferred to the 60-day injured list to make room for Lindgren on the 40-man.
Lindgren, 26, was selected by the Fish in the 24th round of the 2019 draft. He made some appearances in the lower levels of the farm system that year, but then the minor leagues were canceled in 2020. In 2021, he tossed 106 Double-A innings with a 3.82 ERA. He split last year between Double-A and Triple-A, tossing 136 2/3 innings over 27 starts. He had a 4.21 ERA in that time, striking out 20% of batters faced while walking 9.1%. This is his first selection to a roster and he’ll be making his MLB debut as soon as he gets into a game.
Garrett is likely considered the club’s #6 starter, behind a top five of Sandy Alcantara, Jesús Luzardo, Edward Cabrera, Johnny Cueto and Trevor Rogers. He opened the season as the long man in the bullpen and tossed three innings on Saturday. It’s possible the club would rather him be making starts in Triple-A so that he’s ready to jump back into the rotation whenever a need arises, with Lindgren taking over the long relief job.
Enright, 26, was selected from the Guardians in the Rule 5 draft. In February, he revealed that he was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma in December and has been undergoing treatment. The club hasn’t provided any updates on that situation, but his transfer to the 60-day IL means he will be ineligible to return until late May.