Yamamoto gets the call as arm ailments pile up

Urena headed to injured list with an undisclosed malady

MIAMI — Through the first 64 games of the season, no team in baseball matched the consistency the Miami Marlins had with their starting rotation.

Prior to Tuesday night’s game, Miami was the last team to have the same starting rotation since the start of the season. But following Caleb Smith’s recent trip to the injured list for inflammation in his left hip, and now a new injury, the Marlins’ starting rotation is experiencing some serious upheaval.

Starting pitcher Jose Urena is heading to the injured list with an undisclosed injury, according to MLB.com. In a corresponding move, Miami is promoting Jordan Yamamoto, a source confirmed to the South Florida Sun Sentinel. While the team hasn’t announced anything yet, the moves are expected to be made official Wednesday.

In 13 starts this season, Urena has gone 4-7 with a 4.70 ERA and a 1.45 WHIP. In his last start, the right-hander had his worst performance of the season, allowing six earned runs on 11 hits in three innings in a 7-1 loss to the Atlanta Braves on Friday.

One of the pieces in the Christian Yelich trade, Yamamoto will be called up after having spent the season in Double-A Jacksonville. The right-hander is on Miami’s 40-man roster, meaning the Marlins don’t have to take someone off the roster to clear space for him.

Yamamoto has started 12 games for Jacksonville this year, posting a 3.58 ERA. The 23-year-old also recorded a 1.19 WHIP and 64 strikeouts.

He made his last appearance Friday, throwing 97 pitches, meaning he should be available to pitch Wednesday. In that previous game, Yamamoto went five innings, allowing five hits and two earned runs. He also notched nine strikeouts.

Yamamoto had a strong 2018 season playing for three different minor-league teams, posting a 1.83 ERA in 68 2⁄3 innings. He threw an additional 26 innings in the Arizona Fall League, continuing his strong campaign with a 2.08 ERA, .172 opponent’s batting average and 27 strikeouts with 13 walks in six starts.

The Marlins’ 18th-ranked prospect, Yamamoto will be the second player from the Yelich trade to reach the majors, joining Lewis Brinson, who was sent back down in Triple A earlier this season. Second baseman Isan Diaz and Monte Harrison are also in New Orleans.

Yamamoto was drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers in 2014 in the 12th round out of St. Louis School in Hawaii.

Miami had previously called up Elieser Hernandez from its Triple-A affiliate to start on Tuesday against the St. Louis Cardinals.