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.

March 15, 2013; Tampa, FL, USA; Miami Marlins left fielder Austin Kearns (26) scratches his face against the New York Yankees at George M. Steinbrenner Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Due to a personal matter, Austin Kearns has left the Miami Marlins and will likely be placed on the Bereavement list, according to Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald.

Austin Kearns has left team to deal with personal matter #marlins and will likely be placed on bereavement list

— clarkspencer (@clarkspencer) May 4, 2013

The team expects Kearns to rejoin the roster in a couple of days, but by placing Kearns on the bereavement list, the team has the option to call up another player to take Kearns’ spot. Kearns owns a lowly .185/.290/.185 slash line this season in 31 plate appearances, but his patience and ability to work the count has made him the Marlins top right handed option off the bench.

With Matt Diaz already up in the majors, it will be interesting to see who the Marlins decide to call up. Diaz can play both the outfield and recently began playing first base in Triple-A.

We will have more updates on who the Marlins decide to call up to take Kearns spot, if they decide to call anyone up at all. Jeff Mathis recently started his rehab stint and could be an option for the Fish, with Olivo focusing on backing up first base.

March 2, 2013; Tampa, FL, USA; New York Yankees relief pitcher David Aardsma (34) throws a pitch during the third inning against the Detroit Tigers at George M. Steinbrenner Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

With the continued struggles of their bullpen early on in the season, the Miami Marlins made a move to sign former Seattle Mariners closer David Aardsma to a minor league contract. Aardsma will report to Triple-A New Orleans, but will surely be given a shot to pitch for the Marlins if he does well with New Orleans.

F rom 2009 to 2010, David Aardsma was the full-time Mariners closer. He pitched to varied success in those two seasons. In 2009, Aardsma pitched 71 1/3 innings, saving 38 games while posting a 2.51 ERA and a 3.01 FIP. His numbers regressed slightly in 2010, but still pitched 49 2/3 innings, picking up 31 saves while posting a 3.44 ERA and a 4.05 FIP.

Aardsma developed elbow issues during the 2010 season and eventually needed Tommy John surgery. Since his surgery, he has only pitched one inning in the MLB. His lone inning came with the Yankees last season and the results were not pretty. Aardsma picked up one strikeout, walked a batter, and allowed a home run.

Overall in his two seasons with the Mariners, Aardsma threw 121 innings and saved 69 games with a 2.90 ERA. His numbers seemed to benefit from pitching in a pitcher friendly park, as his career numbers are a 4.22 ERA and 4.28 FIP.

It would be nice if Aardsma could pick up where he left off with the M’s, but that seems unlikely at this point. While he won’t make a huge impact, he is expected to pitch for the Marlins at some point.

Austin Kearns taken to hospital:

Scary news to report, after initially being in the Marlins starting lineup, outfielder Austin Kearns was a late scratch and taken to the hospital for an elevated heart rate.

Austin Kearns taken to hospital because of elevated heart rate. #marlins

— Juan C. Rodriguez (@JCRMarlinsbeat) April 14, 2013

We hope everything is alright with Kearns and that he can return to the Marlins lineup very soon. Never want anything like this to happen to anyone.

Justin Ruggiano returned to the Marlins lineup and will start in right field.

For more updates on the Marlins and Austin Kearns, please stay tuned to Marlin Maniac.

Mar 9, 2013; Melbourne, FL, USA; Miami Marlins second baseman Chone Figgins (1) against the Washington Nationals during a spring training game at Space Coast Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

The Miami Marlins announced today that they have released veteran utility man Chone Figgins.  A long-time pal of Juan Pierre, Figgins is an 11-year MLB guy whose performance inexplicably fell off of a table in Seattle.  Going 8 for 26 with 6 RBI in 11 games wasn’t enough to earn a roster spot.  Cutting Figgins brought the roster to 42, with a little over two weeks of spring training left.  It’s probably reasonable to expect the last two cuts to be the toughest decisions to make. While he brought the same  stabilizing/mentoring experience to the clubhouse as Pierre, he simply didn’t have the defense or the wheels necessary to offset the age and mileage.

It’s tough to speculate who else will be trimmed off of the 40-man roster in the next two weeks.  A quick poll of the Maniac staff ( I had to actually get up from the massage table here at Marlin Maniac HQ and head down to the executive Writer’s Bar to get my answers…the lengths we go to for a story!)  shows Austin Kearns (.071 and 10 strikeouts) and Chris Valaika (.200 and 5 SO) as being the most likely headed to the unemployment office.

On the lighter side of the game, the warm weather here in Jupiter, plus the 5-mile proximity to the Gulf Stream, has prompted Steve Cishek and Nick Green to take up a little extracurricular activity.  Based on Cishek’s Twitter feed, it looks like a few of the boys have been blowing off steam with rod and reel instead of club and ball.

Here are a couple of pics from the promising closer (reportedly working on a changeup as a treat for the lefties he’ll face this season).  Gotta admire Chris Hatcher’s rod holder ingenuity:

Based off of his success in the minors it appears that Coghlan has regained his Rookie of the Year form. Yet, he was kept in New Orleans in favor of Bryan Peterson, Gorkys Hernandez and Austin Kearns. While these three outfielders have potential to have a role as the 4^th outfielder on a major league roster, neither of them have shown any indication of being a long-term solution. In the past Coghlan has served as the Marlin’s primary offensive catalyst and leadoff hitter. He has experienced a high level of success, as a former rookie of the year, unmatched by these other players at the respective stages of their careers. Being that Coghlan has been limited by injuries over the course of multiple seasons and seems healthy, it would appear appropriate that he be given priority at bats at the Major League Level over Peterson, Hernandez and Kearns. Being under control for multiple years into the future, it would make sense to give Coghlan every opportunity to earn a starting job for next season. Outfielders such as Kearns have no service to the team for the long term .With the team going nowhere this season, it would benefit the Marlins the most to provide Chris Coghlan a starting job for the remainder of the season to determine his future role in the Marlins organization.

While this merely speculation oddly enough Chris Coghlan, now earning the Major League minimum salary, is arbitration eligible for the first time next season. This means that if he would accrue enough Major League service time, he would be due for a significant raise. While it remains to seen whether Coghlan has enough service time to actually qualify it is no secret that he has spent a critical amount of time in the Minors over the past two seasons. As such by not being called up, it is possible that he would not be eligible for arbitration. There is a chance Miami is not giving him a legitimate opportunity to pay him the minimum for next season, as well as to keep him under control for an additional year.  It is also possible that the Marlins, having dealt a significant amount of salary, are planning to reinvest it in the free agent market this winter to address the outfield. Melky Cabrera, Shane Victorino, Michael Bourn and the inconsistent BJ Upton are potential targets. Yet this should not be a threat to Coghlan playing for the remainder of this season. Chris Coghlan, who is cheap and controllable for several more seasons, has demonstrated his talent as Rookie of the Year and has reemerged in New Orleans. While this may be a moot point with the return of Stanton and Ruggiano, Coghlan has the potential to be a long term answer in the outfield. Yet it appears that he is not on the Major League roster for financial reasons. If this truly is the case I, among many other fans will be most disappointed that the team is truly shooting itself in the foot by refusing to give Coghlan a chance.