Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Alfaro cleared to resume workouts, no go for Brigham
JUPITER — Miami Marlins manager Don Mattingly provided a pair of injury updates Wednesday, one positive and one negative.
The positive: Catcher Jorge Alfaro has been cleared to start his progression after suffering left oblique tightness on Thursday. This includes throwing, dry swings and some catching, Mattingly said. He is still a ways away from playing in live games, but there is optimism that he will be ready for Opening Day when the Marlins host the Philadelphia Phillies on March 26.
The negative: Relief pitcher Jeff Brigham, who was considered a contender for one of eight bullpen spots heading into spring training, is “unrealistic” to be ready for Opening Day as he continues to deal with a right biceps injury. Brigham has yet to begin his throwing program.
Let’s start with Alfaro. While it will still be some time before he plays in a live spring training game, progress is progress. The Marlins anticipate him being their primary catcher for the 2020 season with veteran Francisco Cervelli getting playing time behind home plate, as well.
But Alfaro played in just two spring training games before feeling a pinch in his left oblique while swinging in the batting cages last week, prompting the Marlins to shut him down.
“We just have to get him ready,” Mattingly said. “When you’re starting that progression, you haven’t taken swings yet. We have to get there. The biggest thing is to get over that hump, and then you can start playing.”
Alfaro played 130 games last season, his first with the Marlins after being acquired as part of the J.T. Realmuto trade with the Philadelphia Phillies. That included 112 starts at catcher. He hit .262 with 18 home runs, 57 RBI and 44 runs scored but also had 154 strikeouts and had 11 errors and 11 passed balls defensively.
“We’re going to be cautious,” Mattingly said. “At this point, we don’t want it to make this a long-term thing and try to get back into spring training games and rip it.”
As for Brigham, it’s looking more and more likely that he will start the season on the injured list. He has had minimal work off the mound this spring, and the Marlins don’t want to rush him if he isn’t ready.
“The biceps thing, when he started off, it was a little something in camp,” Mattingly said. “We were progressing, kind of going forward and it didn’t move forward. It worked up and slowed down.”
Brigham, who moved to the bullpen last year after being a starter for the first four years of his professional baseball career, had a 4.46 ERA with 39 strikeouts over 381⁄3 innings last season. He had a strong close to the season, giving up just three earned runs during his final 16 appearances.
“I’m trying to prove that the last month-and-a-half [of the 2019 season] wasn’t a fluke,” Brigham said earlier in camp. “I can continue to get big-league hitters out and help this team win games.”
Right now, that’s on hold.
Split results: The Marlins had mixed results in their first split-squad day of spring training. Miami earned a 2-1 win against the Houston Astros at the FITTEAM Ballpark of the Palm Beaches behind a two-run home run from Christian Lopes in the eighth inning and six shutout innings from the bullpen. The team that stayed in Jupiter lost 5-3 to the Baltimore Orioles. Starter Caleb Smith gave up four runs in three innings. The team attempted to rally back, with Jonathan Villar’s two-run home run in the fifth pulling Miami as close as 4-3.