The Marlins are set to select the contract of right-hander Luis Madero from Triple-A Jacksonville and transfer third baseman Brian Anderson to the 60-day injured list to create space on the 40-man roster, reports Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald (Twitter link). Miami will also place infielder Jose Devers on the 10-day injured list due to a right shoulder injury.
It’s a tough blow for a Marlins club that has been reeling in recent weeks, due in no small part to the loss of Anderson. On the day Anderson made an early exit due to what was eventually revealed to be a left shoulder subluxation, the Marlins were 23-24. They’ve gone 6-12 in the 18 games since, and while the absence of Anderson obviously isn’t the only reason, it’s a primary factor. The 28-year-old got out to a slow start in 2021 but has long been one of the Marlins’ top bats and was one of the hottest hitters in the NL at the time of his injury.
The move to the 60-day injured list means that Anderson will now be ineligible to return before late July. (The 60-day term of the stint refers to his initial placement on the IL — not the date on which the player is transferred to the 60-day list.) A timeline in that range has begun to look increasingly likely, particularly after MLB.com’s Christina De Nicola tweeted earlier today that Anderson has still not been cleared to begin hitting after three weeks on the the injured list.
Miami’s primary options at the hot corner in Anderson’s absence have been Jon Berti and Isan Diaz, and that pairing will likely continue to hold down the fort on a banged-up Marlins club that effectively has an entire infield — Anderson, Miguel Rojas, Devers and Garrett Cooper — on the injured list. They’re thin on additional options in the upper minors, though both Luis Marte and Eddy Alvarez have gotten quick looks from the Marlins over the past year. (Either would need to be added back to the 40-man roster.)
Madero, 24, made his big league debut with the Fish earlier this season but has already gone unclaimed on waivers once, which removed him from the 40-man roster at the time (hence today’s need for a 40-man transaction).
Madero at one point ranked within the top 20 prospects in the Angels organization, per both Baseball America and FanGraphs, but his stock has tumbled since that time. That’s due largely to being rocked for a 5.72 ERA in 89 1/3 frames of a pitcher-friendly Double-A environment back in ’19, but Madero’s work in Triple-A with the Marlins this year has been sharp: 23 2/3 innings of 2.28 ERA ball, albeit with fairly pedestrian strikeout (23.6) and walk (9.2) percentages.
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