Left-hander Smith likely out for season with injury to lat
MIAMI — The Miami Marlins are losing one of their best surprises of the season, likely for the rest of the year.
Left-handed starter Caleb Smith suffered a Grade 3 lat strain Sunday in Colorado, an MRI revealed, probably ending the 26-year-old rookie’s season in Miami. After the Marlins’ 9-5 win over Arizona on Monday, Smith said his options were to either undergo surgery or to let the muscle reattach to the bone itself.
“Either way,” Smith said, “I think I’m out for the season.”
Smith was one of the Marlins’ best starters this season, leading Miami starting pitchers with a 4.19 ERA. He racked up 88 strikeouts in 77 1⁄3 innings pitched and had four outings with at least eight strikeouts.
The Marlins placed Smith on the 10-day disabled list on Monday, and recalled right-hander Ben Meyer from Triple-A New Orleans.
“You know it’s going to take some time,” Marlins manager Don Mattingly said. “It’s not going to be overnight, 10 days or anything like that. That’s a tough one for our guy to swallow. A guy that’s been showing so much promise for us this year. For that to happen, I’m sure he’s pretty down.”
Smith said he had not decided whether he would have surgery or let it heal on its own, but perhaps indicated he was leaning towards a more assured process with surgery.
“There are so many things that can go wrong [without surgery],” Smith said. “I could be healed or I’ll think it’s healed and then start throwing, feel it again and then have to get surgery and prolong it. Whereas I can go ahead and get surgery and be ready by spring training.”
Smith said the diagnosis was worse than he anticipated after expecting it to be a minor injury like a pulled muscle. But he was also thankful it was not a more serious rotator cuff injury.
“I don’t think there was anything I could have done to avoid it,” Smith said. “I’ve done the same routine that I do. I’ve done that for my whole career, pretty much. So I don’t think there was anything I could have done different.”
The Marlins acquired Smith in the winter in a minor trade with the Yankees. Miami sent minor league right-hander Mike King to New York for Smith and Garrett Cooper. Smith picked up his first major league win on April 29, and tied with Jose Ureña for most starts with Miami this season (16).
Straily, Mattingly drop appeals: Right-hander Dan Straily dropped the appeal of his five-game suspension and began the ban Tuesday against Arizona. Manager Don Mattingly also served his one-game suspension Tuesday night.
The league handed Straily the suspension for hitting Giants catcher Buster Posey with a pitch June 19 in San Francisco. Warnings were already issued to both benches, so Straily was immediately ejected, as was Mattingly.
Straily pitched 6 1⁄3 innings Monday night against the Diamondbacks and will be eligible to pitch again on Sunday. In Mattingly’s place, bench coach Tim Wallach will manage the Marlins.
The incident stemmed from a chain of events on June 18, a come-from-behind 5-4 Miami win over San Francisco. In the ninth inning, Lewis Brinson celebrated his game-tying single by yelling on his way to first base. Giants righthander Hunter Strickland jawed at Brinson on his way out of the game.
The next day, Giants right-hander Dereck Rodriguez hit Brinson with the first pitch he saw in the second inning. Straily responded by plunking Posey in the bottom half of the frame.