Alvarez part of Marlins trio put on disabled list

ATLANTA -- The Marlins placed Henderson Alvarez on the 15-day disabled list on Monday due to right shoulder inflammation and mild elbow tightness. The club also announced catcher Jeff Mathis (fractured right hand) and infielder Don Kelly (fractured finger) will be joining Alvarez on the DL.

The three injuries occurred in what turned into literally a painful 8-5 loss on Sunday to the Rays at Marlins Park. During the game, Mathis and Kelly each fractured their right ring finger. It was revealed shortly after the game that Alvarez experienced arm discomfort.

Along with their injury news, the Marlins also recalled right-hander Jose Urena from Triple-A New Orleans and placed right-hander David Phelps on the paternity list. Phelps' wife, Maria, gave birth on Monday to a boy, Jack. Phelps, however, is expected to take Alvarez's rotation spot and start on Friday against the Mets at Citi Field.

Alvarez underwent an MRI exam on Monday, and it didn't reveal any structural damage. The club is hopeful the injury isn't serious enough for the ace to miss substantial time more than 15 days.

"It's hard to say. I think right now it's more calming down the inflammation and getting him feeling good and healthy," Miami manager Mike Redmond said. "How long it'll be, I don't know. That's kind of the unknown right now. It's really up to him and how quickly he feels better. We're going to make sure that he feels good and confident before he goes out and pitches again."

Miami made three other roster additions in light of the injuries. Catcher J.T. Realmuto and reliever Carter Capps were recalled from Triple-A New Orleans. Both were already on the 40-man roster. And infielder Reid Brignac had his contract selected from the Zephyrs.

To free up the roster spot for Brignac, reliever Aaron Crow was transferred from the 15-day to the 60-day disabled list. Crow underwent Tommy John surgery on his right elbow last week.

Alvarez, Miami's Opening Day starter, is 0-2 with a 4.50 ERA. On Sunday, the right-hander labored, giving up four runs in five innings. His velocity dipped, which raised concerns after the game.

"We talked all spring about how healthy we've been able to stay, and you always think about that, and wonder 'Man, I hope that doesn't catch up to you at some point,'" Redmond said. "You're going to have injuries. You just do. Every team deals with it, but you just hope that it doesn't happen all at once, which it did. To think that two guys broke hands in just a span of a couple innings is just baffling. I'm still baffled. It's the reality and good thing is we've been able to bring guys up that can help us contribute."

On Opening Day, Alvarez was much more effective, giving up two runs in seven innings, with his fastball clocked at 93 mph. Kelly suffered a fluke injury, sustaining the fracture on a ground ball hop to third base that clipped the tip of his finger before going into his glove. Mathis' fracture was the result of a foul tip off the bat of Tim Beckham in the eighth inning. Mathis was clipped on the knuckle, causing a fracture to the back of his hand. Recovery time is four to six weeks.