Marlins Swap Position Player for Pitcher on Injured List

The Miami Marlins shortstop is going on the injured list with the back issue that kept him out of the lineup last weekend

Miami Marlins shortstop Tim Anderson is going to the injured list with a balky back / Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports

The Miami Marlins can’t seem to get healthy. 

Injuries to the starting rotation have been a fact of life for Miami this season - aces Sandy Alcantara and Eury Perez are out for the year after Tommy John surgery and starters Braxton Garrett (shoulder), Edward Cabrera (biceps), and Jesus Luzardo (flexor) have all missed time this season. 

But the injuries are starting to pile up for the position players, as well. Shortstop Tim Anderson has joined outfielder Avisaíl García (hamstring) on the injured list. Anderson, who is dealing with “lower back tightness”, was put on the IL retroactive to May 11th. The 30-year-old Anderson missed the final two games against Philadelphia with a back issue. 

Anderson was seen as a “bounce-back” candidate when he signed with Miami late in the offseason. The only Major League free agent signed by the Marlins, Anderson’s play in Chicago with the White Sox regressed from a batting title champ (2019) and MVP candidate (2020) to just a .245 average with a .582 OPs and one homer last season before his $14M club option was declined at the end of last season. 

He’s been fine defensively for the Marlins but hasn’t regained his offensive form, batting just .197 with a .456 OPS in his 36 games in a Marlins uniform. Of his 24 hits, only three are for extra bases (both doubles) and he has 38 strikeouts to just six walks. 

The Marlins have used offseason trade acquisition Vidal Bruján, acquired from the Tampa Bay Rays, in Anderson’s place in four of the last five games. The 26-year-old is batting .257 on the year and has turned it up recently, going 17-51 with six extra-base hits (including a homer) and just seven strikeouts in his last 16 games. 

The corresponding move to Anderson’s injured list placement was for Miami to activate pitcher A.J. Puk. The lefthander attempted to convert from relief to a starting role this offseason, but went 0-4 with a 9.22 ERA in his first four starts, walking an astronomical 17 batters in just 13.2 innings before going on the injured list. Now that Puk’s gotten over his “arm fatigue” that necessitated being shut down for two weeks and then going through minor league rehab, Puk’s set to return to a Marlins bullpen that’s struggled this season. Being overworked due to short outings from the rotation, Miami’s bullpen has put up a 5-11 record, a 4.78 ERA, and covered 175 innings, just twenty-two less than the rotation’s 197 over the team’s 42 games (and likely closer to even when accounting for bullpen games and the amorphous role of Sixto Sánchez).