Marlins Shuffle Pitching Staff, Calling Up Non-Roster Invitee from Spring
The Miami Marlins have made a roster move as they try to address their pitching woes.
Just three games into the 2024 season, the Miami bullpen has already had to cover nineteen innings, owing to Opening Day's twelve innings and early exits from starters A.J. Puk and Ryan Weathers in games two and three.
And so, the Marlins announced this morning that they have called up Vladimir Gutierrez from AAA Jacksonville prior to today's series finale.
Gutierrez, 25, joined the organization on a minor league deal with an invitation to spring training back in late February. Previously with the Cincinnati Reds, where he signed as an internatinal free agent out of Cuba in 2016, he started 32 games in 2021 and 2022 before Tommy John surgery knocked him out of action for a season and a half.
Gutierrez pitched ten innings for Miami in spring training, allowing seven runs (four earned) on twelve hits with four walks and nine strikeouts. With the heavy usage of Miami's pen, he'll allow for another bulk arm if Sunday's outing doesn't go to plan.
The corresponding move for Gutierrez being added was for Miami to send reliever Declan Cronin to Jacksonville. Cronin was the extra-innings bulk arm in game one, pitching the 10th through 12th innings and allowing only one run across the three frames. But after throwing 32 pitches on Thursday and another 22 last night, he wasn't going to be availalbe for a day or two and with seven different relievers having thrown 30 or more pitches in the last three days - Tanner Scott is the only exception, having thrown 26 on Thursday - Miami needed more options in the pen.
The Marlins finish the series against the Pittsburgh Pirates today at 1:40 PM ET.
Managing Editor for Blackerby Media, covering the Atlanta Braves and Miami Marlins Also: Senior Baseball Writer for Auburn Daily, member of both the National College Baseball Writers Association and Internet Baseball Writers Association of America (where he won the 2023 Prospects, Minors, & College Writer of the Year award)