Fastball

Miami Marlins Get Injury Diagnosis on Critical Ace Pitcher

As the Miami Marlins chase the playoffs for the first time since 2020, they now know exactly what's ailing reigning Cy Young winner Sandy Alcantara.

Brady Farkas

Miami Marlins Get Injury Diagnosis on Critical Ace Pitcher
Miami Marlins Get Injury Diagnosis on Critical Ace Pitcher /
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Miami Marlins ace pitcher Sandy Alcantara has been diagnosed with a UCL sprain in his right elbow. He had been put on the injured list recently with an elbow issue, and now there's a clear diagnosis.

Per the article above, the Marlins haven't ruled Alcantara out for the remainder of the season, which is good news for him - and for the team's playoff push. Often times, when you hear about an injury to the UCL, you worry about impending Tommy John surgery, but that hasn't been mentioned for Alcantara yet.

Also per the above article:

A sprain of the UCL can be a precursor to an extremely significant result like Tommy John surgery, though not in all cases. Phillies prospect Andrew Painter was diagnosed with a UCL sprain earlier this year and did ultimately require Tommy John, though Mason Miller of the Athletics was diagnosed with a mild UCL sprain in May and returned to the A’s about four months later.

The 27-year-old won the NL Cy Young award in 2022 but hasn't been the same this year. He's still got a respectable 4.14 ERA but has gone just 7-12. He's only struck out 151 batters in 184.2 innings.

The Marlins enter play on Wednesday at 74-71 and 1.5 games back in the battle for the third and final wild card berth in the National League. They are seeking their first playoff berth since 2020.

The Marlins are taking on the Milwaukee Brewers on Wednesday night. First pitch is set for 7:40 p.m. ET.

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Brady Farkas
BRADY FARKAS

Brady Farkas is a baseball writer for Fastball on Sports Illustrated/FanNation and the host of 'The Payoff Pitch' podcast which can be found on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Videos on baseball also posted to YouTube. Brady has spent nearly a decade in sports talk radio and is a graduate of Oswego State University. You can follow him on Twitter @WDEVRadioBrady. 

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