What the Marlins should do with Tyler Moore

Within the next two weeks, the Miami Marlins are on track to put their projected starting lineup on the field together for the first time in over a month.

That’s right Miami Marlins fans: Justin Bour, Adeiny Hechvarria, and Martin Prado are all projected to make their triumphant returns.

Which is quickly going to result in Don Mattingly having to make some very tough choices. The Hechavarria-J.T. Riddle debate has been particularly well chronicled to the point of being unfair to the club’s most stellar defender.

However, there is another Marlins roster bugaboo who has gained traction in the past few days. What does the team do with backup infielder/outfielder Tyler Moore?

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The answer is of course to bench him immediately.

Moore has ben red-hot of late, raising his average to .288 thanks to hitting .351 with 4 HRs and 12 RBIs in his ten games as the Marlins starting first baseman. Certainly nothing to sneeze at.

But incumbent Justin Bour was the best at his position in baseball in May, and paced the majors in homers. More than even the prematurely deified Aaron Judge. By every measure, Bour was better, and has more than earned the right to return to a starting role.

But being knocked out of the starting lineup doesn’t mean sent back to the minors either. That honor should go to Tomas Telis, followed by Christian Colon. The Fish would be well served to keep Moore, easily the hottest power bat amongst Miami’s reserves.

Who gets voted off Marlins island?

So who gets a free ticket to New Orleans once all three missing infielders return? Does the team stick with a four man bench and demote a player that has been highly productive? Or will this be the end of the four man experiment, with a struggling reliever sent down instead?

Tough to say for sure. However, I would be surprised to see a pitcher moved, tempting as it might be at first glance.

There are plenty of pitchers in the Marlins system that are getting healthier as well. There’s no way Vance Worley makes a start this weekend. Adam Conley and Tom Koehler could return at any time, once management is confident they’ve worked out their issues.

So it’s a position player that goes, which almost certainly means the end of the line for either Moore or Riddle. And at that point, the signs seem to point Moore, no matter how hot the bat is.

All about flexibility for the Marlins

It all comes back to the four man bench. Roster flexibility is key here. A.J. Ellis is obviously untouchable. The same is true of Ichiro Suzuki, who has seemingly found his swing again. Derek Dietrich warrants a demotion most based on performance, but he can also play four positions.

He’s coming off a strong Pirates series that has some thinking he’s figuring things out again. A rough week though would make him an interesting dark horse.

Technically, Dee Gordon could slide over to short, but that’s something the Marlins have shown a fair amount of reluctance to do regularly. Because of the burgeoning two-way confidence in Riddle, the answer is clear. Health permitting, Moore goes back to AAA by the end of next week.

The only possible argument for not doing that would be concerns about hindering Riddle’s development. Regular at bats are important for a young player. As Tyler Moore is not one of those, there’s a small chance Michael Hill decides to ride with the hot bargain bin player instead.

Next: Justin Bour returns to lineup on Friday

But as the roster is presently constructed, there really won’t be a fit for Moore once all three starters return.

At least not until they trade Hechavarria.