Weathers placed on 15-day IL with index finger strain
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MIAMI -- The Marlins placed left-hander Ryan Weathers on the 15-day injured list with a left index finger strain on Saturday afternoon.
Miami recalled righty Roddery Mu?oz, who started Saturday night¡¯s game against the Guardians at loanDepot park, as the corresponding roster move
Weathers exited Friday night¡¯s 3-2 victory after just 40 pitches. Manager Skip Schumaker, pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre Jr. and head athletic trainer Lee Meyer visited Weathers after he surrendered a two-run homer to Cleveland's Brayan Rocchio with one out in the third inning. Weathers didn't throw a warmup pitch before departing.
It marked the second time this season Weathers had exited a start early; he also did so on April 16 with a left-hand cramp.
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During Saturday's clubhouse availability, Weathers said his finger soreness dates back to Christian Yelich's steal of home on May 20. On the play, Weathers tried to barehand catcher Nick Fortes' throw back to the mound before firing home. Though Fortes' throw wasn't hard, it caught Weathers on the "right spot."
"It'd been bugging me but not to the point where I should say something," said Weathers, who planned on telling the staff after completing Friday's third inning. "It's just been sore. I felt like I know the difference between sore and hurt. Just threw the first breaking ball of the game last night to [Josh] Naylor, and it kind of grabbed in a weird way and just kind of a feeling I haven't had so far. And then it happened again in the second, and by the third inning, I just couldn't really grip the ball that well."
The 24-year-old is amid a breakout season, compiling a 3.55 ERA and a 1.14 WHIP as the club¡¯s most consistent starter. He set a career high with 11 strikeouts in his June 1 outing and had five consecutive quality starts in May.
It's too early to tell how long Weathers will need to recover. For now, rehab consists of hot/cold contrast treatment and laser therapy. His finger is in a splint.
"As well as I take care of my arm in workouts and running, for it to be something as small as my finger, it's definitely frustrating," Weathers said. "But it's something I can't control. The only thing I can control is just rehab it and see how quick it can heal and just go from there. Take it day by day."
Weathers becomes the latest Marlins starting pitcher to be sidelined this season. Right-handers Sandy Alcantara and Eury P¨¦rez are rehabbing from Tommy John surgery. Righty Edward Cabrera threw a bullpen on Friday as he tries to come back from a second right shoulder impingement in 2024. Mu?oz is starting on Saturday instead of righty Sixto S¨¢nchez, who has right shoulder inflammation. Lefty Braxton Garrett began the season on the IL with a left shoulder impingement and fellow southpaw Jes¨²s Luzardo missed time with left elbow tightness.
Miami has an open rotation spot, which will appear again on Thursday in the series finale against the Mets at Citi Field. Forty-man roster options include Marlins No. 2 prospect Max Meyer and right-hander Shaun Anderson, who was acquired in a trade with the Rangers for cash on May 30.
"Bullpen games a couple weeks ago would have been fine because of the off-days," Schumaker said. "Right now it'd be more challenging. Anything's on the table, but I would anticipate a starter here soon."