There is a slight tear in Edward Cabrera‘s right UCL, but the 27-year-old is determined to pitch through it. The Miami Marlins are satisfied with how Cabrera has looked and how his elbow has responded over the past few weeks since being placed on the injured list, so he will be reinstated to start Tuesday’s game against the Philadelphia Phillies.
It figures to be a shorter outing than usual—Cabrera threw approximately 50 pitches during a simulated game last week and the Marlins only increase a starter’s workload in increments of about 15 pitches at a time as they are building back up from an injury.
Being cleared to come off the IL is obviously encouraging, but it’s premature to declare victory over Cabrera’s elbow sprain. Throwing at 100% intensity could exacerbate the physical symptoms, or maybe there is a tentativeness in his delivery that prevents him from consistently executing his pitches.
Mapping out their rotation plans even further, Sandy Alcantara will make his final 2025 regular season appearance on Friday. Pushing him back far enough to pitch in front of Miami fans was very likely part of the calculus there.
To gather even more information about Cabrera’s elbow health, the Marlins could decide to start him again Sunday. Regardless, a decision on whether or not to undergo surgery won’t be made until after the season ends.
Down on the farm, Triple-A Jacksonville lost their regular season finale, 4-1. In what should be his last minor league rehab game, Griffin Conine went 0-for-2 with two walks. In nine total rehab games, Conine slashed .292/.514/.583 with two home runs and 11 walks. The Jumbo Shrimp will host the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders in the best-of-three International League Championship Series beginning on Tuesday.
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🔷 The Cincinnati Reds and New York Mets are each four games up on the Marlins in the race for the National League’s third Wild Card spot with only six games remaining. The Marlins would also have to leapfrog the Arizona Diamondbacks and San Francisco Giants this week to secure a miraculous postseason berth. In all likelihood, it’ll require a 6-0 week against the Phillies and Mets, stretching their overall winning streak to 12 games, which is unprecedented in franchise history.
🔷 A former Roberto Clemente Award nominee himself, Jeff Conine told MLB.com’s Christina De Nicola about how proud he is of his son’s off-the-field impact. As a reminder, you can vote for Griffin to win the award here. Voting closes on Sunday night.
🔷 Son Los Marlins highlighted the Marlins players who best embody their team’s “comeback” spirit.
🔷 The Prediction Time leaderboard has been updated. Only two series left! Become a SuperSub and we’ll keep track of your predictions all season long.
🔷 Elsewhere around baseball, Cal Raleigh hit his 58th home run as the Seattle Mariners swept the Houston Astros. The Mariners have won 14 of their last 15 games. The Detroit Tigers continue to implode as they were swept by the Atlanta Braves and have now dropped nine of their last 10.
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