The Marlins announced that they have placed outfielder Owen Caissie on the ten-day injured list with a right calf strain. Left-hander John King hits the 15-day IL with a left lateral ankle sprain. They also optioned righty Zach Brzykcy to Triple-A Jacksonville. To take those three rosters spots, righty Janson Junk has been reinstated from the 15-day IL while righty Ryan Gusto and outfielder Rece Hinds have been recalled. Craig Mish of the Miami Herald reported earlier that Caissie would hit the IL. Christina De Nicola of MLB.com was first on the Hinds promotion.
Caissie departed last night’s game with right calf tightness, per Mish. It seems the Marlins have decided he’ll need at least a bit of time to rest up. That might not mean too much at this time of the calendar. The All-Star break starts on Monday, so it’s possible that Caissie could miss just a handful of games if he requires a minimal stint on the IL.
For however long he’s out, the Marlins will be down a key bat. Caissie’s season-long numbers don’t look especially strong, but he started ice cold and then got into a really good groove. He has a .239/.297/.459 line and 101 wRC+ for the campaign overall, with a 39% strikeout rate. Through the end of April, he had a .207/.250/.345 line, 42.7% strikeout rate and 58 wRC+. Since then, his 36.7% strikeout rate is still really high but an improvement, while he has put up a .260/.327/.534 line and 128 wRC+.
Caissie and several other Miami players have gotten hot lately and propelled the team into contender status. On June 7th, the Marlins were 31-35 and 14 games back of Atlanta in the National League East. Now they are 51-42 and only three games back. They are in possession of a Wild Card spot, at least two games clear of all the clubs below them. Subtracting Caissie’s potent bat won’t help them in that race but hopefully it’s a brief absence and/or other guys step up.
Hinds will be making his team debut whenever he gets into a game. He was acquired from the Reds in May after Cincinnati had designated him for assignment. The Marlins have kept him at Triple-A Jacksonville, where he has produced a fairly modest .231/.296/.404 line. He has some power and speed but his time in the majors so far has featured far too many strikeouts. With the Reds, he took 131 trips to the plate over the past few years but struck out in 42% of those.
While Caissie is out, Hinds will jump into a corner outfield mix that also includes Griffin Conine, Heriberto Hernández and Esteury Ruiz. The Marlins have been using Kyle Stowers at first base a lot and could put him back in the outfield more often if they are willing to have Liam Hicks absorb more of the playing time at first.
King’s IL placement is also notable for the Fish. He has been a key part of the club’s bullpen this year. He has thrown 40 innings, allowing 2.48 earned runs per nine. There’s a decent amount of good luck in there, as his .158 batting average on balls in play and 81% strand rate are both to the fortunate side. His 3.97 FIP and 3.82 SIERA suggest he’s been more decent than excellent. Regardless, it’s a blow to a bullpen that is already without Anthony Bender, Ronny Henriquez, Josh Ekness and Andrew Nardi.
Without King and Nardi, the Marlins have Cade Gibson as their only lefty reliever. Gibson has an ERA of 6.00 on the year, though that number exaggerates his struggles. His .365 BABIP and 62.5% strand rate are to the unfortunate side, so his 3.41 FIP and 3.61 SIERA are much more optimistic. Regardless, it’s not ideal for him to be the only southpaw in the group. Nardi isn’t expected back until late August. Perhaps the Marlins will look to add to some help ahead of the August 3rd deadline.
Photo courtesy of Kyle Ross, Imagn Images
