Veteran leader Cervelli to IL with concussion
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Francisco Cervelli, who suffered a concussion on Saturday in the Marlins¡¯ 5-3 win over the Nationals in Game 2 of the doubleheader, was placed on the seven-day concussion list on Sunday.
The Marlins selected the contract of Brian Navarreto, who started behind the plate and went 2-for-3 in his Major League debut in Sunday's 9-3 loss at Nationals Park, as the corresponding roster move.
Because of his previous history with concussions, the Marlins are uncertain how long Cervelli will be out. It¡¯s a tough blow to a squad in which the 34-year-old has established himself as a vocal leader and mentor to a young pitching staff.
¡°Obviously, this is unfortunate for Francisco,¡± Marlins manager Don Mattingly said. ¡°He has a history with concussions. We kind of knew it right away.¡±
Cervelli spent time on the injured list in each of the past three seasons due to concussions.
¡°I just feel bad for him,¡± Mattingly said. ¡°He apologizes and says, ¡®Sorry.¡¯ He apologizes right away. He said he couldn¡¯t do it.¡±
Cervelli was struck by a foul ball, and he was replaced by Jorge Alfaro in the third inning. He told the trainers that he felt tingling in his arms and shoulders.
Alfaro ended up catching 11 innings in the doubleheader, which Miami split.
¡°It¡¯s a lot of work,¡± Mattingly said. ¡°I¡¯m a little worried about him as far as taking care of him. He¡¯s the kind of guy who may need to sleep in the ice bath tonight, because he¡¯s going to be sore. He caught like five innings once [while on the injured list]. This was a lot of work in a quick fashion.¡±
Chad Wallach has been on the injured list since the season's first weekend, and he is the only other catcher on the 40-man roster.
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Cervelli has been productive at the plate, hitting .245 with a .355 on-base percentage, three home runs and seven RBIs in 16 games.
Behind the plate, Cervelli has been masterful working with the pitching staff. The Marlins had him handle top prospect Sixto S¨¢nchez in the nightcap.
¡°I don¡¯t know what to expect from this, just because he¡¯s had a number of concussions in the past,¡± Mattingly said. ¡°So I don¡¯t know where this is going. I feel bad for him, and obviously this hurts us.
¡°It hurts us as a catching staff. It hurts our pitching staff that that leadership is gone for right now.¡±