Miami Marlins News: Jake Marisnick and Jeff Mathis Out for Season

Aug 11, 2013; Atlanta, GA, USA; Miami Marlins center fielder Jake Marisnick (23) is unable to catch a ball hit by Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Mike Minor (36) in the fifth inning at Turner Field. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Shirey-USA TODAY Sports

With the firing of President of Baseball Operations Larry Beinfest taking center stage on Friday afternoon, a couple of news pieces went under the radar. The Miami Marlins announced that catcher Jeff Mathis and outfielder Jake Marisnick were out for the season with injury woes. Both injuries certainly put a damper on the Marlins playoff chances. (Okay, maybe that’s a bad joke.)

Mathis, who began the season on the DL with a fractured collarbone, will now miss the remaining two games with a fractured right thumb. He originally sprained his thumb on September 9th, blocking a pitch against the Atlanta Braves. Initial X-rays came back negative and Mathis returned to game action on the 16th.

He played seven games before the discomfort became too much for him, resulting him leaving the Marlins game on the 24th prematurely. A second x-ray was taken after the game and revealed a fracture.

Mathis played in 73 games for the Marlins, starting for much of the second half when the team decided to demote the struggling Rob Brantly.

Mathis owned just a .181/.251/.284 slash line, with a negative WAR of -0.5 for the 2013 season. Despite his terrible performance at the plate, the Marlins credited much of their young pitching staff’s growth to his work behind the plate.

Rob Brantly and Koyie Hill should see action behind the plate for the final two games in Mathis’ place

On Friday, the team also announced that rookie outfielder Jake Marisnick would be undergoing a scope on his left knee, effectively ending his season.

Marisnick, who was called up in late July along with Christian Yelich, never really found his groove in the majors. In 40 games, owned a .183/.231/.248 slash line. Despite playing strong defense in center, Marisnick started to lose playing time for the Fish as Justin Ruggiano started to get hot.

Despite the struggles in the majors, the Marlins have to be encouraged with Marisnick’s growth in 2013, as he owned a .294/.358/.502 slash line in 298 plate appearances in Double-A.

I’d suspect Marisnick would begin the season in Triple-A in 2014, unless he makes a strong impression that he is ready to handle major league pitching coming out of spring training.