May 17, 2013; Miami, FL, USA; Miami Marlins relief pitcher Jon Rauch (60) throws during the eighth inning against thenArizona Diamondbacks at Marlins Park. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

After another loss for the Miami Marlins, the team made another roster move, keeping the charter going back-and-forward from Miami to New Orleans busy. The team designated reliever Jon Rauch for assignment and called up left hander Duane Below.

Rauch designated for assignment. LHP Duane Below on his way from NOLA. #marlins

— Juan C. Rodriguez (@JCRMarlinsbeat) May 18, 2013

The move was made to get another long relief option in the majors for the Fish after Wade LeBlanc had to go four innings for the Marlins in a night starter Kevin Slowey only pitched three innings.

Duane Below owns a 2.68 ERA in 47 innings between the Detroit Tigers and Miami Marlins Triple-A affiliates. The Marlins claimed Below off of waivers near the end of April and stashed him away as a potential fit in either the Marlins rotation or bullpen should a spot open up.

I mentioned Below as an option to receive a call-up to the Marlins in case the team decided to move Alex Sanabia out of the rotation. While Below will be used out of the bullpen as a long relief option right away, he could become an option for the Marlins rotation if the injured players are out any longer and Sanabia’s struggles continue.

Rauch signed a one-year, $1MM deal with the Marlins in February, but struggled through the first two months of the season. Rauch held a 7.56 ERA in 16 2/3 innings for the Fish this season, making  15 appearances. Although Rauch’s ERA was extremely high, his FIP was a respectable 3.41, indicating he struggled with some bad luck with his .393 BABIP.

Rauch owns a career 3.88 ERA with 7.2 K/9 and 2.7 BB/9 over 594 big league innings. I would be shocked if Rauch clears waivers, as there is likely to be some team that wants to take a ticket on a seasoned veteran bullpen arm.

With Rauch being designated for assignment, the Marlins 40-man roster now sits at 39. The Marlins likely won’t fill this empty spot until one of their many players on the 60-day disabled list return.

Mar 23, 2013; Jupiter, FL, USA; Miami Marlins catcher Kyle Skipworth (53) in the first inning during a spring training game against the St. Louis Cardinals at Roger Dean Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

Austin Kearns had to suddenly leave the Miami Marlins yesterday to attend to a personal matter. As was expected, the Marlins placed Kearns on the bereavement list today and recalled catcher Kyle Skipworth.

#Marlins call up c Kyle skipworth to replace Austin Kearns

— Joe Capozzi (@joecapMARLINS) May 5, 2013

Kearns can be away from the team no less than three games, but no more than seven. The Marlins don’t expect him to join the team in San Diego, as they take on the Padres from Monday to Wednesday. Hopefully everything is alright for Kearns and his family. Austin has not had the easiest 2013, as he has already dealt with an irregular heartbeat and has not fared well at the plate. He owns a .185/.290/.185 slash line early on.

With Kearns hitting the bereavement list, the Marlins had to select someone from their 40-man roster to take his spot. The only options for the Marlins on their 40-man roster were Skipworth and outfielder Kyle Jensen. The team felt Skip was the better option to callup.

Skipworth had just three plate appearance in his earlier stint with the Marlins. He drew a walk, but went hit less. The former first round pick did not receive much playing time and will likely not get much this go-around either. Skipworth posted a .143/.250/.143 slash line in 16 plate appearances in Triple-A.

Injury Updates:

Donovan Solano was a late scratch last night due to soreness on his left-side. Solano was out of the lineup again today and hopes to return sometime next week against the San Diego Padres. A stint on the disabled list has not been yet ruled out for Solano.

Miguel Olivo will be catching for the second straight game as Rob Brantly is still bothered by his cut finger. The injury does not seem to concern the Marlins, but the move to callup Skipworth seems to be a precautionary move.

Feb 22, 2013; Jupiter, FL, USA; Miami Marlins first baseman Logan Morrison (5) poses for a picture during photo day at Roger Dean Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

Logan Morrison is eligible to come off the 60-day disabled list on June 1st, but the Marlins will hold him out till mid-June. LoMo did not participate in spring training at all, so the Marlins figure to give him an extended rehab stint to work his way back.

Jeff Mathis has gone 4-f0r-13 with two doubles in his rehab stint with the Greensboro Grasshoppers. Mathis is still working his way back from his broken collarbone and could return to the Marlins very soon.

Pitcher Henderson Alvarez has been shutdown by the Marlins after suffering a setback in his recovery from shoulder inflammation. Alvarez felt soreness after throwing to hitters a few days ago and the Marlins decide to shut him down. The Marlins plan to give Alvarez a couple of days of rest and see how he feels.

August 8, 2012; Detroit, MI, USA; Detroit Tigers relief pitcher Duane Below (64) pitches against the New York Yankees at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

The Miami Marlins claimed left hander Duane Below off of waivers from the Detroit Tigers earlier today. The move put the Marlins 40-man roster back at 40, according to Joe Capozzi on Twitter:

#Marlins claim LHP Duane Below from DET and option him to NOLA.40-man now at 40.

— Joe Capozzi (@joecapMARLINS) April 25, 2013

The Marlins will assign Below to Triple-A New Orleans, but he could become an option later in the season if the Marlins bullpen continues to struggle or if they need a left handed reliever.

The Tigers designated Below for assignment yesterday to make room on their roster for the recently signed Jose Valverde. Below was drafted by the Tigers in the 16th round during the 2006 Major League Baseball Draft.

Below pitched in the majors with the Tigers from 2011-12, he totaled 75 1/3 innings in those two seasons. Below has posted a 4.06 ERA, 5.1 K/9, 2.3 BB/9 and 43.4 percent ground-ball rate in his brief major league career. Below has posted identical numbers to both right and left handed hitters, despite being a southpaw.

Prior to the beginning of the 2012 season, Baseball America noted, “Below’s stuff is average at best, but he throws strikes and has good feel for pitching.”  BA noted, “He fits best as a No. 5 starter or swingman.”

(Image Credit: Howard Smith-US PRESSWIRE)

The 35 year old saw a significant amount of playing time for the Phillies last season, earning 439 plate appearances after joining the team on a minor league contract prior to the season. He’d bat .307/.351/.371 on the year, adding 37 stolen bases and proving reliable defensively. Over his 13 year Major League career he’s hit a combined .297/.346/.363 in 7,950 plate appearances, with 591 stolen bases. From 2003-2005 Pierre was entrenched as the Marlins center fielder, perhaps the best stretch of his career. He hit a collective .303/.354/.378 during that span. He led the league with 63 stolen bases in 2003, finishing 10th in NL MVP voting, and with 221 hits in 2004.

As Axisa points out, bringing Pierre aboard could be an effort to address the lack of a top-of-the-order hitter on the lineup after this week’s trade of Jose Reyes and Emilio Bonifacio to Toronto. Pierre has spent the better part of his career hitting out of the leadoff spot and proved this past season that there is still something left in the tank on the base paths.

Reliever Scott Maine will join his fourth organization in the past twelve months thanks to a waiver claim by the Marlins. (Image Credit: Rob Grabowski-US PRESSWIRE)

The 27 year old has 46.2 innings of work at the Major League level for his career, in 50 relief appearances over the past three seasons. He’s 2-3 with a 5.59 ERA in that span, with 9.3 K/9 and 4.8 BB/9. His minor league numbers, however, have been more appealing. Over six seasons since being taken in the 6th Round of the 2007 Draft, Maine posted a 19-15 overall record, 3.26 ERA, and added 40 saves to go along with 10.1 K/9 and 4.0 BB/9.

At best Maine could develop in a left-handed specialist out of the bullpen, but there is nothing to indicate that he is going to win such a role out of Spring Training. Maine has spent the bulk of the past three seasons pitching in Triple-A, so it would be reasonable to expect he’ll compete to avoid a return engagement. To be fair, however, there’s no way of knowing what the remainder of this roster will look like in the coming weeks so any speculation on roles is just that, speculation.