Marlins’ Closer Options Following Fairbanks Injury

MIAMI — The Miami Marlins placed closer Pete Fairbanks on the 15-day injured list Tuesday with right median nerve irritation, the team said, before continuing a three-game series against the Boston Red Sox at loanDepot park.

In a corresponding roster move, reliever Dax Fulton has been recalled from Triple-A Jacksonville. 

Fairbanks, attempting to send a 2-2 game to the bottom of the ninth inning Monday, walked Mickey Gasper to begin the inning.

A member of the Marlins medical staff and manager Clayton McCullough came to the mound after Fairbanks notified them that something wasn't right.

Fairbanks exited in what turned out to be a 4-2 loss for the Marlins and is now expected to miss the next couple of weeks, leaving the club, with 30 games remaining before the playoffs, searching for its next option in the ninth inning.

This is the second time Fairbanks, whom the Marlins signed to a one-year, $13 million deal this offseason, has landed on the injured list.

Fairbanks landed on the injured list April 28 with nerve irritation after blowing a save against the Los Angeles Dodgers earlier in the season.

It wasn’t until May 16 that Fairbanks pitched in his first game back from the injury.

Speaking to reporters in the Marlins dugout before Tuesday's game, McCullough said nobody will be assigned the closer's role that Fairbanks held.

The club is hopeful Fairbanks can return next month, assuming everything checks out medically.

Instead of naming one pitcher to replace Fairbanks, McCullough said the Marlins will look at their available options based on the situation.

That could mean different pitchers handling the ninth inning depending on matchups, workload and how the game unfolds.

Fairbanks had taken over the closer's role after joining Miami this season, giving the Marlins an experienced option at the back end of their bullpen.

He struggled earlier in the year but has really turned a corner of late, giving the coaching staff confidence that he’s their guy to get baseball’s most important three outs.

His absence comes at an important point in the season as Miami makes its push toward the postseason, with the club four games out of the National League’s final Wild Card spot. 

For now, Miami's ninth inning remains unsettled, with McCullough leaving open the possibility that the role could be handled by committee until Fairbanks is healthy enough to return.

Tyler Phillips will get the start Tuesday, with Brian Navarreto behind the plate. First pitch is scheduled for 6:40 p.m. ET.