Fernandez flies to Miami, time to shut him down?

Earlier this afternoon, reports came out that Jose Fernandez has flown back to Miami with right shoulder tightness.

These reports come following his 76 pitch start last night where Fernandez pitched five innings of two-run ball before exiting the game. Marlins fans grew concerned over a possible injury at first, but later articles showed that the Fish were “playing it safe.”

Now, those concerns re-emerge with Fernandez’s departure from the team.

Jose Fernandez has flown back to Miami to see doctor for right shoulder stiffness. #marlins
— clarkspencer (@clarkspencer) August 8, 2015

Just recently, I published a piece on why it was smart to remove Fernandez for precautionary reasons. Now, is it time to shut Fernandez down?

I say yes.

The basis of my argument revolves around two specific reasons: Fernandez’s troubled injury history and the state of the Marlins in 2015.

Currently, the Fish sit at 24 games under .500, 43-67, and have no realistic shot at making the playoffs. They can afford to lose an arm and experiment with young ‘talent’ from the farm system. Miami is also not fielding their best team, as injuries have bitten them all season.

But the real reason lies in Fernandez’s right arm. Last season, the budding young righty was sidelined, undergoing Tommy John surgery on his ulnar collateral ligament. Since the surgery, the Marlins have been incredibly cautious when it comes to bringing Fernandez back to his potential.

They continued to roll on the safe side last night, limiting Jose to the shortest outing of his career. And now with Fernandez battling re-occuring tightness in his right arm, the best option is to shut him down. Dan Jennings gave no timetable on Jose’s return.

While #Marlins are taking "wait-and-see" approach, the general feeling in clubhouse is it may be best to shut Jose down.
— Joe Frisaro (@JoeFrisaro) August 8, 2015

In a season of disappointment, disagreement, and difficulty in all facets of the franchise, it seems as if shutting down Fernandez is something everyone can agree on. Again, it’s not worth risking the future of the Marlins just for a couple of games in 2015. Yes, it makes the team harder to watch, but it’s all in good reason.

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