*Photo from Federal Baseball*
One of the ace pitchers in the game has gone down. Miami Marlins starting pitcher Sandy Alcantara underwent Tommy John Surgery on Friday and will be out long term.
Alcantara said in a statement that "With a heavy heart, I want to let everyone know I had Tommy John surgery today and will miss next season. I am most saddened for the great Marlins fans, who were so supportive of me and the team this year. The drive to the playoffs was thrilling for all of us. I give this game my all, I give this city my all. And so I promise I will not take a day off as I push to be back better than ever. I will miss pitching, but I plan to be around the team as much as possible. I'm confident that guys like Jesús, Eury, Edward, Garrett and Trevor will hold down the fort while I am there giving my support. Nothing can take away from my love for Miami and the Marlins’ fans."
In early September, the Marlins placed Alcantara on the IL with what was first deemed a right forearm flexor strain. After undergoing an MRI, a UCL sprain was discovered. He made a rehab start in Triple A before leaving that start with forearm tightness and was then shut down for the season.
Undergoing Tommy John Surgery now keeps Alcantara out of action for the entire 2024 season, a hard loss for a largely young and developing Marlins pitching staff. He has surpassed the 200 inning threshold twice with the Marlins.
Alcantara had a rocky season in 2023, with constant ups and downs. Before landing on the IL, he had a 4.14 ERA, 4.03 FIP, and 1.213 WHIP over 184 2/3 innings, throwing 3 complete games and one complete game shutout in 28 starts.
Pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre Jr said of Alcantara in September that "I think we all feel for Sandy. I think right up until the end, Sandy never gave in to the fact that there was an issue, and it shows me a lot about his courage, his toughness, the type of teammate that he is. He wants to win and be a part of that. It's been a big hit for us, even though he's had some ups and downs. We know that when Sandy takes the ball, you're going to get seven innings."
If the Marlins make no offseason additions, the options they have for the rotation entering 2024 are Jesus Luzardo, Braxton Garrett, Edward Cabrera, Eury Perez, Max Meyer, Trevor Rogers, and Ryan Weathers.
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