Marlins’ Enright feels ‘fortunate’ despite cancer diagnosis
Nic Enright’s first emotion was shock.
It was Dec. 23, a little more than two weeks after the Marlins selected him in the Rule 5 Draft, and the relief pitcher received news he never thought he would hear.
Enright was diagnosed with nodular predominant Stage 2 Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, a type of cancer that affects the immune system and causes swollen lymph nodes and growths throughout the body.
Enright made his condition public on Monday with a post on his Instagram account.
The diagnosis — and the treatment that comes with it — hasn’t deterred Enright. The right-handed relief pitcher, who turned 26 on Jan. 8, has been on the field with Marlins pitchers the past two days on the back fields of Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium before the team’s first official spring training workout on Thursday, something he didn’t think would be possible when he was initially diagnosed. He is playing catch and trying to ramp up after his normal offseason program was understandably delayed.
And above all, he’s trying not to let this potential road block impede him.
“Obviously, this isn’t ideal, but it’s the hand I’ve been dealt,” Enright, who is listed as the Marlins’
No. 24 overall prospect according to MLB Pipeline, said Tuesday. “I’m just taking it in stride, trying to stay positive as best I can. For me, just being able to come to the facility, be around the guys, get my work done. For me, I’m just really happy to be here and do that.”
Enright, fortunately, has not had to undergo chemotherapy. Instead, he has done four rounds of immunotherapy so far, one round every Thursday via a port that was inserted into his chest in December. His final round for this set of treatments came last week. He is scheduled to begin his next round of treatments on July 10.
“Everything has gone well,” Enright said. “Myself, my family and the doctors are really excited. It’s been working so far. The lymph nodes have shrunk, which is great news.
“I’ve been very fortunate
in many parts of this process,” Enright continued. “I don’t have any of the normal side effects that you kind of characterize with cancer.”
Enright was a 20thround pick by Cleveland
in the 2019 MLB Draft out of Virginia Tech. He finished the 2022 season with Cleveland’s Triple A affiliate, the Columbus Clippers. In 37 innings over 29 appearances with the Clippers, Enright posted a 2.68 ERA with 50 strikeouts against just six walks while holding opponents to a .216 batting average.
For his career, he has pitched 141 innings in the minors and has a 2.80 ERA with 201 strikeouts against 35 walks. Baseball America called Enright “one of the most polished available relievers in this year’s Rule 5 class” and called him “a relatively low-risk addition to a big-league bullpen as a Rule 5 pick.”
He is a fastball-slider pitcher. His fastball hits only the low-90s but has “some of the best carry in the minors, which makes it a bat-misser that he can dot the zone with,” according to Baseball America.
As for his slider, it “generates plenty of swings and misses as well, and serves as an excellent chase pitch when he gets ahead in counts.”
Enright took a month off from any baseballrelated activities following the diagnosis to focus on his doctor appointments and making sure he had his health taken care of.
“Now that we really hammered out that plan, we have a really good idea of what this next time is going to look like. Now, it’s just kind of building my arm and my body back up and getting ready.”
Enright also remains extremely appreciative of the Marlins for their support throughout the process.
“I can’t speak highly enough for everything they’ve done and all the resources they pulled together to help me out through this whole thing,” Enright said. “It’s not really normal for any of us. So they’ve been awesome and risen to the occasion as well as my family and friends and support staff around me.”
IT’S BEEN WORKING SO FAR. THE LYMPH NODES HAVE SHRUNK, WHICH IS GREAT NEWS. Nic Enright, on his immunotherapy treatments after being diagnosed with Stage 2 Hodgkin’s Lymphoma