Cooper rejoins Marlins from DL; Peters optioned

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WASHINGTON -- More position-player depth is rejoining the Marlins. The organization on Friday announced outfielder/first baseman Garrett Cooper was reinstated from the 60-day disabled list, and left-hander Dillon Peters was optioned to Triple-A New Orleans.
Getting Cooper back adds a power potential bat to the roster, and a right-handed-hitting option for both corner-outfield spots as well as first base. On Friday, he received the start in left field and went 2-for-3 with a walk in a 3-2 loss to the Nationals.
"The first couple of at-bats, I saw the ball pretty well, and put a couple of good swings on it," Cooper said. "I didn't come up with the big hit with the bases loaded. That's more frustrating than anything else."
Cooper sustained a right wrist injury after being struck by a pitch against the Cubs' Kyle Hendricks on March 30 in the second game of the season. Cooper was Miami's Opening Day right fielder.
"We definitely want to get a look at Cooper," Marlins manager Don Mattingly said. "That's one of the things in my mind is a priority. Just to get a good view of who he is."
A few days after being hit by the pitch, medical tests revealed the 27-year-old had a partial tear of the tendon sheath in his right wrist. Initially, he was placed in a cast, and he has spent the past few months getting into playing shape.
"It kind of was like Spring Training all over again," Cooper said. "Just getting started. Two games in, it's not something I wanted. It definitely took the mental aspect of sitting there, watching all of those games, rehabbing. It took a lot longer than I wanted it to. But I'm happy to be back this year, and didn't have to go through surgery and miss the whole year."
Cooper appeared in 11 rehab assignment games -- nine for New Orleans and two for Class A Advanced Jupiter. His combined numbers were .333/.421/.455 with one home run and five RBIs.
"The opportunity was there at the beginning of the year," Cooper said. "I was hoping when I came back, the opportunity was still there. The guys are doing well. It's something you take day by day. If your name is in the lineup, and if it isn't, you prepare in the same way."
Cooper will rotate into several different spots. The club has Derek Dietrich in left field, Brian Anderson in right field and Justin Bour at first base. Cooper is an option at all three positions.
Mattingly compares Cooper to Anderson in expected run production.
"I picture him a lot like Andy," Mattingly said. "A guy who hits first, and the power should come. He's a guy who has been productive. He uses the whole field. He's got a pretty good eye."
On Saturday against right-hander Max Scherzer, Cooper is expected to start in right field, with Anderson already informed he will get the day off.
The Marlins acquired Cooper, along with left-hander Caleb Smith, from the Yankees last November.
In 2017, Cooper appeared in 13 games for the Yankees, hitting .326 with five doubles, a triple and six RBIs in 43 at-bats.
Worth noting
• Jorge Guzman, the Marlins' No. 3 prospect, according to MLB Pipeline, will represent the organization in the SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game, which will be at Nationals Park on July 15. Guzman, acquired from the Yankees as part of the Giancarlo Stanton trade, is at Class A Advanced. A native of the Dominican Republic, the hard-throwing right-hander will compete on the World Team. Guzman's fastball regularly touches 100 mph.

Martín Prado, who started at third base on Thursday and Friday, is expected to get Saturday off. Returning from a left hamstring strain, Prado is getting periodic days off. Shortstop JT Riddle, who didn't start on Thursday or Friday due to left hip soreness, is expected back in the lineup Saturday.
• The Marlins announced the signing of their 40th-round pick, Andrew Miller, a left-handed pitcher from the University of Kentucky. Miami has signed 34 of the 41 players it drafted.

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