MIAMI, FL—Prior to Wednesday’s series finale against the San Diego Padres, Fish On First spoke to Marlins outfielder Griffin Conine, who suffered a dislocated left shoulder on April 20 against the Philadelphia Phillies, underwent surgery and will miss the remainder of the season. He slashed .281/.352/.438/.790 with one home run, seven RBI and a 121 wRC+ in 20 games played.
“Think the way that I went to slide was a bit unorthodox,” Conine told Fish On First reflecting on the unusual injury. “I hit the ball in the gap, thought for it was for sure a double and then (Johan) Rojas cut it off and made a good play, got into the cut really quick. I was running first with my head down, seeing the bag hit, and then when I looked up, I was surprised to see (Bryson) Stott almost had the ball, so I hit the ground hard because I was thinking about it. It felt like a normal slide, but at the same time, the way that I went down was a lot more sudden than usual if you’re sliding head first. You’ll gradually get low and I think I went from straight up to just slamming the ground pretty hard. That just caused whatever to happen to the dislocation.”
Conine says he is “in a good spot” nearly three months removed from surgery. He began a throwing program on Tuesday, playing catch from 60 feet. That distance will increase by 15 feet every other day. He will be back to doing long toss at some point in August.
Conine has also begun some “swing stuff” with his right arm. Three to four weeks from now, he expects to be cleared for full swings. “Doctor (Neal) ElAttrache is really happy with where we’re at and how it’s progressed.”
Assuming no setbacks, Conine should be healthy in time to participate in either the Arizona Fall League or an international winter league. From there, he’ll be a full participant in Marlins spring training and look to earn an Opening Day roster spot for a second straight season.