Cooper, Sierra out for rest of season

September 23rd, 2019

NEW YORK -- Marlins outfielders and will not play during the final week of the season because of their respective injuries, according to manager Don Mattingly.

Cooper, who hasn’t played since Sept. 13 with a left knee contusion, had his most productive season in 2019, hitting .281 with 15 home runs, 50 RBIs and 1.5 WAR -- which ranked third on the team.

Mattingly said he is pleased that Cooper will continue to be part of the Marlins in 2020.

“Coop played enough this year to give us an idea of who he can be and what he can be,” Mattingly said. “I think we’ve had a pretty decent assessment of Garrett. I feel pretty good [about him] as we get into our [offseason] meetings at the end of the year.”

After he was called up to the big leagues in early September, Sierra left a good impression on Mattingly before he suffered a mild left hamstring strain on Sunday against the Nationals. The injury is not considered serious, and he was walking comfortably after the game.

Sierra, who did not travel with the team to New York for Miami’s series against the Mets, went 14-for 40 with three stolen bases after his September callup. Mattingly sees a big difference compared to the Sierra of last year.

“I was disappointed seeing him limping [on Sunday], more [from] the standpoint of we were seeing him make big strides from where he was last year,” Mattingly said. “He seemed timid in the outfield, nervous. He came a long way in one year. You would like to see a little more of it. We have to make decisions, but I think he gave us a good enough look. The fact that he improved that much is a really good sign for him.”