WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- Marlins No. 2 starter Dan Straily is dealing with mild right forearm inflammation and he is not scheduled to throw for about five or six days.
The setback is believed to be minor, but missing a week of throwing this far into Spring Training makes it questionable that Straily will pitch on March 30 against the Cubs at Marlins Park. But the club is confident Straily will not miss a significant amount of time.
"We just wanted to be proactive," Marlins president of baseball operations Michael Hill said.
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Straily had an MRI taken late Monday, and it didn't show any major issues.
"We sent him for an MRI, and it showed very mild forearm inflammation," Hill said.
Straily, 29, paced the Marlins in starts (33) and innings (181 2/3) in 2017. The veteran was in the running to be the Opening Day starter, but that nod went to Jose Urena, who will face the Cubs on March 29 at Marlins Park.
If Straily can't make his first scheduled start, it means only Urena's spot is known at this point.
Another scenario is that Straily can avoid a DL stint and pitch anywhere from the third to fifth spots.
Odrisamer Despaigne, Jacob Turner, Justin Nicolino and Caleb Smith also are in the mix for spots on the staff.
"It just emphasizes the fact you can never have enough pitching, in general," Hill said. "Things inevitably come up. We're pleased that [Straily] let us know what's going on, so we can get in front of this, and prevent something worse potentially happening."
Straily had been lined up to pitch on Sunday against the Astros, on the final day the Marlins are in camp.
Even if Straily opens the season on the 10-day disabled list, it doesn't mean he must miss the first 10 days of 2018. He could be placed on the DL before Opening Day, and with the way the retroactive date falls, he could be activated as early the fifth game of the season, which is April 2, against the Red Sox in Miami.
"We don't want to speculate at this point," Hill said. "We want to be smart with him. Obviously, he's a big part of our rotation. Make sure that he's OK. He said he's fine."
Straily threw four innings and 60 pitches on Monday in a Minor League game on Field 4 of the Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium complex in Jupiter. His fastball was in the 89-91 mph range, according to one scout's reading. Another scout clocked his velocity as high as 92 mph, which is common for Straily.
On Tuesday, Sandy Alcantara, the organization's No. 3-rated prospect according to MLB Pipeline, was optioned to Triple-A New Orleans.