Marlins Manage Injury-Riddled Pitching Staff Through Tough Series

MIAMI — Miami Marlins manager Clayton McCullough has been frequently criticized for using his bullpen too much and taking starting pitchers out too early. 

This time, he has no choice. 

With half of the Marlins' starting rotation suffering injuries, and two of their top pitching prospects also out for the remainder of the season, McCullough has had to rely on his bullpen more than ever. 

The Marlins were recently trying out Tyler Phillips as a starting pitcher. Both of his outings were encouraging, but he returned to his long relief role on Friday. Both he and Ryan Gusto gave up three runs in a 6-0 loss against the Tampa Bay Rays, but Phillips remains stretched out as a starter. 

How McCullough saw it was the Marlins “have X amount of arms to get through” their weekend series against Tampa Bay. With the exception of Sandy Alcantara, slated to pitch on Sunday, the Marlins are largely relying on their bullpen arms to get through with minimal damage. 

“You’re just gonna go pitch,” McCullough said before Friday’s game. “We need a couple of innings today, go take down a couple of innings. If you need to follow someone and chew up more of the middle part of the game, then we’re gonna ask you to do that.”

The Marlins lost both Eury Pérez and Jansen Junk to injury during their most recent road trip. McCullough said Pérez is at the Marlins spring training facility in Jupiter and is expected to begin throwing by next week. 

“Eury is progressing well and should start throwing in the next couple of days,” McCullough said. 

Pérez was originally placed on the 15-Day Injured List (retro to May 28) with a right gracilis strain. At the time, the expected timeline was eight weeks, and McCullough said there was “no timetable change from the original conversation.”

Marlins outfielder Griffin Conine is also in Jupiter, preparing for a return to the field. Conine was placed on the Injured List in April for a torn hamstring that required surgery. He was recently transferred to the 60-Day IL, but the recovery timetable remained the same. 

“He had a follow-up with the doc who did his procedure, and the doctor is very happy with where Griff is right now,” McCullough said. “Before he goes out on an assignment, is Griff being able to do some high-intensity running over multiple days in a row, and how he’s able to recover from that.”

The Marlins minor league system has also been riddled with injuries, starting with top prospect Thomas White, who may miss the entire season after sustaining a left shoulder capsular sprain last month. White joins No. 2 prospect Robby Snelling, who underwent season-ending UCL surgery after his MLB debut. 

Marlins No. 8 prospect Kemp Alderman also sustained a left elbow sprain on May 17 and is expected to be out for at least one month.

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