Marcell Ozuna Done for Season

Injuries are starting to plague the Miami Marlins as they close in on the finish of their 2014 season. The team is already without superstars Jose Fernandez and Giancarlo Stanton, and shut down Bryan Morris for the season late last week. Rafael Furcal has been out most of the season with his hamstring issues.

Marcell Ozuna can be added to the list of players that won’t finish the season with the Marlins due to an injury. Ozuna’s season came to a halting end on Sunday afternoon, when he suffered an ankle injury against the Washington Nationals. Ozuna was spotted in a walking boot after the game, according to MLB.com’s Joe Frisaro:

With just 7 games remaining on their 2014 schedule, there is literally no reason for the Marlins to even think about using Ozuna again this season. He needs to rest up and let the ankle heal properly and get ready for 2015. His first two seasons in the MLB have now come to a halt due to an injury. Ozuna suffered a sprained ligament in his thumb last season, which required surgery and ended his season prematurely.

On the season, Ozuna was the Marlins third best position player. He slashed .269/.317/.455 on the season with 23 home runs. Ozuna also played well defensively in center field, which led to his 3.4 fWAR for the 2014 season.

Ozuna’s sophomore season gives the Marlins an outfield to dream on, as Christian Yelich, Marcell Ozuna, and Giancarlo Stanton formed one of the best young outfields in baseball this season.

With Ozuna out, we should expect to see a lot more of Garrett Jones in right field. Reed Johnson should get more reps in the outfield, as well as Kike Hernandez. This should actually open the door for more Justin Bour, who has been impressive as a starter, at first base.

Stanton and Ozuna combined for 60 home runs on the season, something the Marlins lineup will surely be missing over the next 7 games in 6 days, to close out the season.