Marlins in midst of emotional road trip

PITTSBURGH -- With the Marlins in the midst of a seven-day, six-game trip through Washington and Pittsburgh, it’s normal for players to be thinking of home when they're not focused on baseball.

For several reasons, this trip had more significance in that regard than most. The specter of Hurricane Dorian churning 105 miles just off the coast of Vero Beach, Fla., had many players seeking updates.

For infielder Miguel Rojas, home is in Broward County, Fla., so he was attempting to keep a close eye on how the storm was developing, all while managing a return to the Majors on Sunday after a trip to the injured list with a right hamstring strain.

Rojas was rehabbing in nearby Jupiter, Fla., when rain in the forecast prompted the Marlins to transfer his assignment to Triple-A New Orleans, where he spent a few days before rejoining the big league club in Washington over the weekend. So when the storm approached, Rojas hadn’t been home in a few weeks.

“As a family, you’ve always got to have a Plan B and somewhere to go,” Rojas said. “For us, as baseball players, our career is not going to stop. They’re going to make us play somewhere else. That also means family is going to stay behind the majority of the time.

“Everything is fine now. I’ve been thinking about the people in South Florida, and not just my family, but all the people that always support us in Miami. I’m glad that it’s not going to hit us straight, but I know the Bahamas got crushed and I’ve been thinking about the people there.”

For rookie second baseman Isan Díaz, the trip to Pittsburgh represented a chance to connect with a legendary figure from his homeland. Diaz is a native of Puerto Rico, and during the team’s off-day on Monday, he and several teammates visited the Clemente Museum, dedicated to Puerto Rican hero and Pirates Hall of Famer Roberto Clemente.

Of course, Díaz was familiar with the legendary outfielder, but he learned a lot about Clemente's playing career, his boundary-breaking struggles as a Latin baseball player and the humanitarian causes he championed.

“It’s amazing,” Díaz said. “Walking in there is something that you’ll always remember: the guy, what he did, everything that he went through and the barriers that he broke for us. It was a really inspirational moment, and something that I’ll never forget. Very emotional to be there and to just kind of see the pictures, and they even had a part of the plane there, that was crazy. I really learned about the guy and how he opened the doors for us. Something like that, you’ve always got to cherish.”

There are 26 active MLB players from Puerto Rico, and the 23-year-old Díaz, who was called up for the first time on Aug. 5, is proud to be a part of that fraternity, whose entire existence was made possible by players like Clemente.

“You see those guys and now being able to be here in the big leagues and experience that, and really take in that role of being that next guy, you can see it and it’s now just all about continuing to be committed to it and continuing to learn,” Díaz said.

For fellow infielder Neil Walker, Pittsburgh is home. Walker grew up in the city’s northern suburbs and was a hometown hero as a first-round Draft pick by the Pirates in 2004. He played for the club from '09-15 and still cherishes every chance to return to his hometown.

“I always get excited to come here and know that my family will always get to come to as many games as they want while I’m here,” Walker said. “The same fans that were watching us from 2010-15 in my career here are probably still watching us in the stands. Certainly, something you don’t take for granted as a baseball player.”