Injuries & Moves: Latest on Sandy, Luzardo, Garrett, Puk
LATEST NEWS
April 30: SS Tim Anderson pinch-runs in 10th
Anderson, who sustained a mild left thumb sprain when Alex Call slid into his glove on a third-inning double during the April 29 series finale against the Nationals, pinch-ran for Christian Bethancourt as the placed runner in the 10th inning on April 30.
April 28: OF Avisaíl García placed on 10-day injured list and OF Dane Myers recalled from Triple-A Jacksonville
Right-handed-hitting García, who is sidelined with a left hamstring strain, had been platooning in right field with left-handed-hitting Jesús Sánchez. Myers, ranked as Miami's No. 13 prospect, got off to a slow start with the Jumbo Shrimp but was batting .333 with an .827 OPS over his last seven games.
"I kind of had a slow start, but I think that was good," Myers said. "I had such a good spring I kind of needed to get brought back down to Earth I think. I've just been working on my zone, trying to swing at pitches that I want to hit. Just trying to be a consistent hitter and have consistent at-bats."
April 28: RHP Emmanuel Ramirez's contract selected from Triple-A Jacksonville and LHP Kent Emanuel designated for assignment
Ramirez provides the Marlins with a fresh arm in the bullpen after Emanuel tossed three innings on Saturday. Ramirez posted a 3.86 ERA with three saves in seven appearances for the Jumbo Shrimp.
10-day injured list
3B Jake Burger (left intercostal muscle strain)
Expected return: Upcoming road trip
Burger will begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Jacksonville on May 1. He had been completing full on-field workouts since April 26 in Miami. Burger exited in the top of the fourth inning in an April 14 game against Atlanta, and initially felt the discomfort on a first-inning swing. (Last updated: April 30)
INF/OF Xavier Edwards (left foot infection)
Expected return: Late May
Edwards, who opened the season on the injured list (retroactive to March 25), has been cleared to increase baseball activity in Jupiter, Fla. He didn't appear in a Grapefruit League game after March 5. (Last updated: April 30)
OF Avisaíl García (left hamstring strain)
Expected return: TBD
García is receiving treatment and improving, according to the Marlins. His hamstring began acting up sometime during the April 22-24 series against the Braves in Atlanta, so he was unavailable until returning to game action on April 27. García grabbed at the hamstring after the first at-bat, and it started cramping following a hit in his second at-bat. He was placed on the IL the following day. This marks the third straight season he has landed on the IL with a left hamstring strain. (Last updated: April 30)
15-day injured list
LHP Jesús Luzardo (left elbow tightness)
Expected return: Week or so
Testing and imaging revealed a mild left flexor muscle strain for Luzardo, who played catch out to 60 feet for the first time on April 29 after feeling "abnormally" tight playing catch on April 25. He was scheduled to throw up to 90 feet on April 30. Luzardo plans to play catch again May 1, then throw a bullpen. Barring setbacks, he hoped to then make a rehab start and rejoin the club.
"I felt like brand new, felt like nothing ever happened," Luzardo said on April 29. "It's positive, and hopefully [I can] build up quickly and get back to the team whenever possible. I was obviously concerned enough to get scratched from the [April 26] start. I just didn't want to push it and have something worse happen." (Last updated: April 30)
LHP Braxton Garrett (left shoulder impingement)
Expected return: Two weeks
Garrett will go five innings or 75 pitches for Triple-A Jacksonville on May 1. He resumed his rehab assignment on April 26, tossing three-plus innings in a 59-pitch outing. Garrett appeared to be on track for a return until he experienced "dead arm" in his April 15 bullpen session, which was unrelated to his previous ailment, according to manager Skip Schumaker. Garrett opened the season on the injured list (retroactive to March 25) after his spring workload was delayed due to general shoulder soreness at the start of camp. (Last updated: April 30)
LHP A.J. Puk (left shoulder fatigue)
Expected return: TBD
Puk, who will return out of the bullpen when he is healthy, was scheduled to throw a bullpen on April 30. He told a small group of reporters that raising his arm slot to get his cutter and splitter going had an impact on the shoulder. Puk began playing catch again on April 23, took April 24 off and threw again April 25-26.
Puk went nine days between outings after a bout with the flu, returning to start April 19 vs. the Cubs. He allowed seven runs and seven hits in three innings, with the velocity on his three main pitches -- four-seam fastball, sweeper and sinker -- all down from his season averages. (Last updated: April 30)
RHP JT Chargois (neck spasms)
Expected return: TBD
Chargois is undergoing testing on his neck after returning from his rehab assignment on April 27 because of a setback. He had allowed one run on three hits with one strikeout in two-thirds of an inning on April 26 for Triple-A Jacksonville in his third rehab outing. His spring workload got delayed when he experienced neck spasms on Feb. 23, and he saw his velocity max out at 92.6 mph -- much lower than his average fastball velo of 96.2 mph in 2023 -- during his Grapefruit League debut on March 12. (Last updated: April 29)
60-day injured list
RHP Sandy Alcantara (Tommy John surgery)
Expected return: 2025
Alcantara played catch on back-to-back days (April 29-30) for the first time. He threw on flat ground on March 9 for the first time since undergoing the procedure. Alcantara was transferred to the 60-day injured list on Feb. 24 to make room on the 40-man roster for Tim Anderson.
Alcantara initially felt the discomfort on the 94th and final pitch of his Sept. 3 start against the Nationals and was diagnosed with a right forearm flexor strain. An MRI later revealed a right UCL sprain. He began a rehab assignment with Triple-A Jacksonville on Sept. 21 but shut himself down after experiencing forearm tightness. (Last updated: April 30)
RHP Eury Pérez (right UCL tear)
Expected return: 2025
Pérez, who opened the season on the injured list (retroactive to March 25), is rehabbing in Miami. Pérez had Tommy John surgery on April 8 after experiencing soreness in his bullpen session on April 2. He was transferred to the 60-day IL on April 4 and is rehabbing in Jupiter, Fla.
Pérez's recurring nail issue had forced him to exit for precautionary reasons after just 14 pitches on March 13 -- but the bigger issue came the following morning when he reported feeling soreness in his right elbow. (Last updated: April 26)
LHP Josh Simpson (left elbow ulnar neuritis)
Expected return: Post-All-Star break
Simpson, who underwent surgery for left elbow ulnar neuritis on April 23, is expected to miss three months before returning to play. Simpson, ranked as Miami's No. 26 prospect, had been playing catch in Jupiter, Fla. He had tossed one inning for Single-A Jupiter on April 6 after previously completing one inning and 25 pitches in an extended spring game on April 2 before experiencing a setback. Simpson, who opened the season on the injured list (retroactive to March 25), didn't pitch in a Grapefruit League game after his Feb. 27 outing because he began to feel discomfort. He was transferred to the 60-day IL on April 20.
"It's tough news, but you hope he's back around the All-Star break or just after the All-Star break," manager Skip Schumaker said. "The good news is it's not season-ending, which would be tougher for him and for us. Still having the ability to potentially come back and help us is a good thing. We had four or five lefties on our roster last year in the bullpen, and having two when they're down at times has been tough to navigate certain lineups. So we're looking for him to come back healthy. When he was good, he was really good. He had a really good curveball, one of the better left-handed curveballs, honestly, in the Minor Leagues, so having him back would be a huge plus." (Last updated: April 23)