Prado on DL; Chen regresses

MIAMI — On a night that mild, clear weather made it possible to play with the roof open at Marlins Park, the news was mostly gloomy Monday from the Miami Marlins’ M*A*S*H unit.

The score was 3-1 in favor of the nays on the health of four players of pressing concern.

The immediate ramification was third baseman Martin Prado placed on the 10-day disabled list for the second time this season with a right hamstring strain.

The Marlins, with two starting pitchers already on the DL, got good and bad news on their progress. Edinson Volquez, recovering from a blister on his right thumb, threw a bullpen session Monday and is on track to start Saturday.

The Marlins had been expecting left-hander Wei-Yin Chen (elbow) would also return after missing only one turn and start Friday. Marlins manager Don Mattingly said he doesn’t expect that to happen.

“That seems to have taken a little bit of back turn,” Mattingly said. “The news on the plane [Sunday] didn’t sound as encouraging as it was the other day like when there was no doubt he was going to make his next start.

“[Volquez] is definitely going to be back in. It doesn’t look like Chen is going to make his next start.”

Meanwhile, the Marlins were awaiting the results of X-rays on the right thumb of valuable utility infielder Miguel Rojas. Mattingly didn’t sound optimistic before the game against the Cardinals.

“It didn’t look good today, honestly. I’ve seen his thumb; it was really swollen, black-and-blue,” Mattingly said. “It didn’t look good, I will say that. It didn’t look like it’s going to be two or three days.”

That suggests that Rojas, who jammed the thumb a few days ago and aggravated it on a check swing in the first inning Sunday, may be following Prado to the disabled list.

J.T. Riddle received his second call-up from Triple-A New Orleans to fill Prado’s roster spot. Derek Dietrich took his place at third base.

A quick return for the Marlins’ unofficial captain seems unlikely. Prado strained the same hamstring March 15 while playing for Venezuela in the World Baseball Classic and didn’t return to the Marlins lineup until April 17 – he batted .290 with two home runs and six RBI in 17 games.

“We expect that something like this, it’s not a week. These are a little bit longer term, so we’re going to have to deal with it,” Mattingly said, adding that Prado will have a MRI to shed more light on the injury. their time with Chen. Mattingly indicated that Urena, a hard-thrower who began the season in a long-relief role, would likely get another start Friday.

Chen sounded more upbeat about how he was progressing from what was initially described as a tired arm.

The Taiwanese lefthander said Monday that the problem was with his elbow but was unlike last season, when he spent two months on the disabled list. He recently told the Sun Sentinel that he has been pitching with a partially torn ulnar collateral ligament in the elbow.

“I don’t know how to describe it, but there’s no pain. I just feel a little weird in that area,” Chen said via an interpreter. “The feeling is totally different than what I felt last year.”

Chen returned to Miami last week and had a MRI, which he said revealed no additional damage.

“With the experience last year I was being a little bit extra cautious. I didn’t want to go through what happened last year,” he said

PATRICK FARRELL/TNS The Marlins were hoping pitcher Wei-Yin Chen would be able to make his start Friday after missing one turn, but that doesn’t seem likely now.