After injury-plagued season, Trevor Rogers looks sharp in first outing of spring training
WEST PALM BEACH
Marlins left-handed pitcher Trevor Rogers had two objectives in his first outing of spring training Tuesday.
“Fill the zone and really have my body feel good,” Rogers said.
He accomplished both tasks when he tossed two shutout innings in a 2-0 win over the Houston Astros at the Cacti Park of the Palm Beaches.
It was Rogers’ first appearance in a live game since his 2023 season ended due to a pair of injuries — first a left biceps strain that landed him on the injured list in April and then a right lat tear that surfaced while warming up for what was supposed to be his final rehab start in early June.
On Tuesday, Rogers gave up just one hit — a one-out double to Jose Abreu on an elevated splitter — against an Astros lineup filled with players who will be on their Opening Day roster.
Rogers threw 23 pitches overall, 18 landing for strikes. His four-seam fastball topped out at 95 mph, and he mixed in all four of his pitches (fourseam fastball, sinker, slider and splitter).
“Just really happy to get out there and compete again,” he said.
Because of how much time Rogers, 26, missed last season, the Marlins decided to ease him into his throwing progression when spring training began. That’s not something Rogers necessarily wanted to hear considering how long of a layoff he had, but he understood the thought process behind it.
“We’ve got seven months ahead of us,” said Rogers, who was the runner-up for the National League Rookie of the Year in 2021 before having a poor 2022 season and the injury-shortened 2023 campaign.
“I’ve really got to look at the long-term picture and really be smart with my body . ... We’re all on the same page and really taking this slow and steady.”
Tuesday was the latest step for Rogers to show he is returning to form.
He retired the side in the first inning by getting Jose Altuve to ground out to shortstop, striking out Yordan Alvarez looking on a 95 mph fastball and getting Alex Bregman to fly out to left field.
In the second, Kyle Tucker lined out to leftcenter field, with center fielder Nick Gordon making a running and diving grab to rob Tucker of a hit. Abreu then got his double before Yanier Diaz lined into an inning-ending double play.
“There’s a lot of positives today overall with Trevor,” manager Skip Schumaker said. “You could see him coming off the mound happy, smiling. It’s a big relief.
“When you come back, you don’t know until you go out there. You can do as many bullpens as possible, but until that first live [batting practice] and then obviously in a game situation, that’s when you figure out exactly if you’re ready and healthy and fully ready to go. He checked a lot of boxes today.”
As for what’s next on Rogers’ to-do list?
“Pretty much the same thing,” he said. “Plus one more inning.”
LINEUP PROJECTION
Schumaker insists that no one should read too much into how lineups are constructed early in spring training.
The priority during the first couple of weeks is to make sure the key players in the lineup that day are higher in the order so that they can get their two or three at-bats by the midway mark of the game and retreat to the clubhouse.
But as camp nears the halfway point and starters begin to stay in games longer, there is beginning to be some clarity as to how Schumaker will handle his lineup.
Second baseman Luis Arraez will almost assuredly retain his spot as the leadoff hitter. Having a two-time defending batting champion at the top of the order — in the spot where he had the most success — makes too much sense to mess with.
From there, Schumaker has flexibility.
The primary four players for spots 2-5 include (in no particular order) first baseman Josh Bell (switch-hitter), third baseman Jake Burger (righthanded hitter), center fielder Jazz Chisholm Jr. (left-handed hitter) and shortstop Tim Anderson (right-handed hitter).
All four have the potential to hit for power and average.
From there, it would be the two corner outfielders and the designated hitter — for the sake of simplicity, lefty Jesus Sanchez plus righties Bryan De La Cruz and Avisail Garcia, regardless of who plays where.
The catcher, either Nick Fortes or Christian Bethancourt, would round out the lineup.
Things can obviously fluctuate depending on when players need a day out of the lineup or the pitching matchup they face.
But this is a starting point for what can be expected when the season begins.
ROSTER CUTS
The Marlins made their first cuts of major-league camp.
Among the six players reassigned to minorleague camp or optioned include a pair of top prospects in infielder Jacob Berry (Miami’s No. 5 prospect, according to MLB Pipeline) and lefthanded pitcher Patrick Monteverde (Miami’s No. 20 prospect).
The other four: lefthanded pitcher Kent Emanuel, right-handed pitchers Jeff Lindgren and Darren McCaughan and catcher Bennett Hostetler.