MIAMI -- It appears one more hurdle stands in Adam Conley's way before he's reinstated for the final week of the season. The left-hander is scheduled to throw about 45 pitches in a simulated game on Wednesday, and if that goes smoothly, he could be ready to join the Marlins for the final few games.
Even though Conley is a fixture in the rotation, when healthy, he projects to be used out of the bullpen to close out the season, because he didn't have time to build up his pitch count.
Conley has been on the disabled list since Aug. 14 with left third finger tendinitis, and his last start was on Aug. 13 in a no-decision against the White Sox.
"At this point for me, I think the biggest thing is just to eliminate any doubt or question mark with the health of my hand," Conley said. "If that means I just make an appearance before the season ends and all goes well, I think all of us are going to look at that as a victory."
Conley showed plenty of promise in the rotation, going 8-6 with a 3.94 ERA in 24 starts and 130 1/3 innings.
His injury was one of the turning points for the Marlins, who were strongly in the Wild Card race before their left-hander went on the DL. Now, the club still has a remote chance of making the postseason, but it is aiming to finish above .500 for the first time since 2009.
"With Adam, he's feeling really good," manager Don Mattingly said. "He came into my office today and told me he is totally healthy. He's not having any problems with what he's doing.
"If he's able to get that, and show he still feels the same way, then we will in some way try to get him into the mix."