Mar 9, 2013; Jupiter, FL, USA; St. Louis Cardinals center fielder Jon Jay (19) dives back to first base before Miami Marlins first baseman Casey Kotchman (18) can apply the tag in the third inning during spring training game at Roger Dean Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

The wave of Miami Marlins players returning from the disabled list is going to start Monday, as the Miami Marlins will activate first baseman Casey Kotchman off the disabled list. Jordan Brown was optioned to Triple-A New Orleans after the Marlins 11-6 victory over the New York Mets to accommodate Kotchman on the active roster.

The team will also designate lefty Wade LeBlanc for assignment and selected the contract of prospect Edgar Olmos from the Jacksonville Suns.

Kotchman will return to the Marlins after leaving a game against the Washington Nationals on April 3rd with a left hamstring strain. Kotchman has missed a total of 55 games due to the leg injury. Casey only had five at bats for the Fish, going 0-for-5 in his stint before the injury.

Kotchman finished his rehab stint with the Marlins High-A affiliate, the Jupiter Hammerheads earlier this week. Casey finished the rehab stint 25 plate appearances, hitting to a .261/.320/.261 slash line. Expect him to see the majority of the time at first base until Logan Morrison finishes his rehab stint next week.

Wade LeBlanc was removed from the Marlins starting rotation after a May 6th start against the San Diego Padres. The team hoped that a move to the bullpen would allow LeBlanc to work out his issues. He owned a 6.11 ERA and a 1.67 WHIP in seven starts and a a 2.70 ERA and a 1.20 WHIP in six appearances out of the bullpen.

Prospect Edgar Olmos was called up to take the place of LeBlanc. Olmos, like LeBlanc is a left handed pitcher. Olmos, a former Marlins third round pick in 2008, had been pitching in Double-A this season. He owns a 1.27 ERA, 6.4 K/9, and 3.2 BB/9 in 28 1/3 innings.

Our former Social Media Manager Will Stanifer had an interview with Olmos earlier this season.

Not sure what the Marlins motivation for this move, as LeBlanc was pitching better out of the pen, but the move does free up a 40-man roster the team may need with more injured players making their way back. Nathan Eovaldi is expected back sometime next week as well.

Olmos is already on the Marlins 40-man roster, so the move will make an additional roster spot available, more than likely reserved for Logan Morrison upon his return from the disabled list. The teams 40-man roster currently sits at 39.

Feb 23, 2013; St. Louis, MO, USA; Miami Marlins third baseman Zack Cox (86) connects for an rbi base hit against the St. Louis Cardinals at Roger Dean Stadium. The Marlins defeated the Cardinals 8-3. Mandatory Credit: Scott Rovak-USA TODAY Sports

Down on the Farm Report for the Miami Marlins: May 28th:

Triple-A: Round Rock Express (28-24) @ New Orleans Zephyrs (24-27)

Game Postponed: Rain

The Zephyrs and Express will play a pair of seven-inning contests in a doubleheader on Thursday, May 30 beginning at 6 p.m.

Double-A: Jacksonville Suns (27-22) @ Pensacola Blue Wahoos (17-33)

Win 1-0

Logan Morrison, 1B: 1-for-3, RBI

Christian Yelich, LF: 0-for-2, 2 BB

Sam Dyson, SP: 5.0 IP, 2 H, BB, SO

Michael Brady, RP: 0.2 IP, SO, SV (10)

Logan Morrison drove in the lone run of the game in the third inning. Morrison’s hit was his only in three at bats and the lone one he has picked up in six Double-A at bats. Morrison is still working on finding his timing, but at some point it becomes concerning when he cannot hit minor league pitching.

Double-A: Jacksonville Suns (27-23) @ Pensacola Blue Wahoos (18-33) (Final 7 Innings) Makeup of 4/19 PPD

Win 1-0

Noah Perio, 2B: 2-for-3, SO

Zack Cox, 3B: 2-for-3

Rob Waite, SP: 4.0 IP, 2 H, 2 BB, 3 SO

Grant Dayton, RP: 1.1 IP, 3 H, ER, BB, 3 SO

After winning the first game by the final score of 1-0, the Suns dropped the second game of the double header by the same score. The Suns have now lost six of their last seven games, but luckily a hot start to the season still has them sitting four games above .500 at this point.

Meanwhile, star prospect Christian Yelich is 0 for his last 23 and has just four hits in his last 37 at bats.

High Class A: Jupiter Hammerheads (27-23) vs. St. Lucie Mets (28-21)

Win 4-1

Brent Keys, LF: 2-for-4, 2 R

Casey Kotchman, 1B: 2-for-4, R

Anthony DeSclafani, SP: 2.0 IP, 3 H

Jake Esch, RP: 4.0 IP, 2 H, ER

Nick Wittgren, RP: 1.0 IP, SO, SV (11)

Casey Kotchman continues his rehab stint with the Hammerheads and picked up two hits on the evening. Casey now owns a .357/.438/.357 slash line in 14 at bats with the Hammerheads. The Marlins will more than welcome Kotchman back onto the team as the backup first baseman for Logan Morrison.

The starting pitcher for this game was Anthony DeSclafani, but he pitched two innings yesterday before the game was called due to rain. When play resumed today, Jake Esch took over.

Amazing to see that Jupiter was able to pull off this win despite their pitching staff only picking up one strikeout all game.

High Class A: Jupiter Hammerheads (27-24) vs. St. Lucie Mets (29-21)

 Loss 7-4

Austin Barnes, DH: 0-for-3, 2 R, BB

Austin Nola, SS: 2-for-4, 2B (7)

Isaac Galloway, CF: 1-for-4, 2B (16), R

Jose Urena, SP: 3.0 IP, 8 H, 5 ER, BB, 5 SO

Isaac Galloway has had a nice bounce back campaign in 2013 after a couple of down seasons for the Marlins organization. Galloway has 24 extra base hits in 199 at bats in 2013, but his free swinging tendencies don’t bode well for his future as he moves up the organizational ladder. Galloway has walked just six times in 205 plate appearances.

Jose Urena has had an up-and-down 2013 for the Hammerheads. He had a rough start in this one and has now allowed five earned runs or more in three starts. Urena has also six starts allowing two runs or less, and one start allowing three runs. Some consistency going forward would be very nice from Urena.

Low Class A: Greensboro Grasshoppers (23-28) vs. West Virginia (28-25)

Win 12-5

Jesus Solorzano, DH: 2-for-5, 2 R, HR (4), 3 RBI

Cameron Flynn, RF: 2-for-5, HR (3), RBI, 3 SO

Yordy Cabrera, 3B: 2-for-5, 2 R, HR (6), 4 RBI

Daniel Oliver, SP: 5.1 IP, 7 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 2 SO

Dane Stone, RP: 2.2 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 4 SO

The Grasshoppers offense has been on fire as of late, 10+ runs in three of their previous four games, including back-to-back games with 12 runs. The Hoppers hit a total of five home runs in the game while picking up 13 hits. The team also struck out 13 times for the game.

Cameron Flynn continues to have a splendid 2013 season, now owning a slash line of .357/.447/.500 in 128 plate appearances. The Marlins 23rd round pick from last season is off to a nice start for his professional career.

Some offensive woes can be linked with the Miami’s first basemen staying healthy, with Casey Kotchman being the most recent addition to the first basemen graveyard. Kotchman joins fellow first basemen Logan Morrison and Joe Mahoney on the DL. Through the injuries, Greg Dobbs has emerged as the emergency replacement for first, although the Marlins aren’t opposed to considering other internal options.

-          Kotchman to go on DL Friday      - 

Casey Kotchman hit the DL Friday.
Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

Joe Frisaro expands on the first base situation, brainstorming about other replacement options and the status of the 40-man roster for the Mets series.

-          Marlins finally score, but Nationals finish sweep                - 

Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald recaps the Marlins’ opening series against the Washington Nationals, discussing the pitching performance by Wade LeBlanc and Justin Ruggiano’s homer.

-          Vaunted Double-A outfield to open on disabled list         - 

Perhaps the most interesting storyline concerning the Marlins is the status of their excellent outfield set to play in Double-A Jacksonville. Juan C. Rodriguez of the Sun-Sentinel outlines the injuries to Christian Yelich, Jake Marisnick, and Marcell Ozuna—all three appear on the Marlins top 10 prospects list, and all three are starting the Minor League season the DL.

-          Analyzing Kevin Slowey’s first start for the Miami Marlins             - 

With the Marlins dry on runs throughout most of the Nationals series, it was easy to overlook the pitching performances during the series. Michael Long offers advanced analysis into Kevin Slowey’s start on Wednesday.

-          Marlins remain ugly stain on MLB landscape        -

ESPN’s David Schoenfield posted an expansive overview of the Marlin’s “fishy” history during its 20-year career. Schoenfield discusses shady management, disgruntled ex-players, and fans’ loathing for Jeffery Loria.

Mar 17, 2013; Jupiter, FL, USA; Miami Marlins first baseman Casey Kotchman (18) connects for an RBI single in the third inning during a spring training game against the St. Louis Cardinals at Roger Dean Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

Kotchman became the latest Marlins to head to the disabled list after the first baseman hurt himself running Wednesday night. Kotchman says he “heard a pop” when running out a double-play grounder. This is the second time Kotchman has been injured, as he cut his hand on a pop-up machine shortly after signing with the team.

Casey made the team after a strong spring put him ahead of Joe Mahoney, who is also on the disabled list. Both of them were competing for the first base vacancy that was opened due to Logan Morrison’s rehabilitation from his knee injury.

Gregg Dobbs started in place of Kotchman at first base and batted fourth Thursday against Washington. He and Austin Kearns are candidates to split time at first with Kotchman out.

The team plans to put Kotchman on the DL on Friday, and make a corresponding roster move then. Two options according to Juan Rodriguez to take his place on the roster are catcher Kyle Skipworth and outfielder Kyle Jensen. Both are currently on the Marlins 40-man roster, so not extra move would be necessary to make room for them.

As always, stay tuned to Marlin Maniac for any updates on the injuries toMarlins players and any other roster transaction news.

For the Miami Marlins, two key players currently fit that mold.

Logan Morrison put off knee surgery last offseason and struggled with the injury all season long. He finally decided to have surgery this past offseason and is not going to be available for the Marlins on Opening Day.

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

Morrison hopes with proper progression from his knee surgery, he will be ready for game action, more than likely a rehab stint, by mid-April. For now, he is working on rehabilitation for his knee.

“By April, I should be running on solid ground,” Morrison said.

On Monday, LoMo did some hitting off of a tee. This is a very small step, but it is good news that he will soon be returning to the Marlins lineup, likely to bat behind Giancarlo Stanton. Because this is his second surgery on the same knee, the Marlins will not be rushing Morrison to return too quickly.

If Logan Morrison can into minor league games by mid-April, chances are good that he could make his debut sometime around May 1st.

In the mean time, Casey Kotchman, a non-roster invitee, who has enjoyed a strong Spring Training, is expected to be the Marlins regular first baseman. Kotchman has a slash line of .455/.486/.667 so far this spring. Kotchman has limited upside, but his infield defense should be a major bonus to the Marlins roster.

Jeff Mathis Eying Early May Return

The other player nursing an injury for the Marlins is backup catcher Jeff Mathis. Mathis was injured in the Marlins first Spring Training game, when he took a foul tip off of the bat of Matt Holliday to the chest. Mathis remained in the game, but was later removed and found out he had a broken collarbone.

His initial prognosis was that he would miss four-to-six weeks. Mathis would be really pressing it to make a return in April. Mathis has set early-May as his target date to be back in the majors

“I’m hoping that the beginning of May, I’m back in a big league game.”

Mathis will be examined on Friday, by Dr. Frank Cook, the team physician, and another X-ray will be taken. The X-ray could reveal how soon Mathis will return.

Up until this point, it has not seemed like the Marlins have been targeting any outsiders to fill in for Mathis as the backup, but that could change at any time, if the right player becomes available.

For now, it seems like the Marlins will give former first round pick Kyle Skipworth a shot. Skipworth has been disappointing with the bat so far this spring, with a slash line of .174/.259/.261. While his offense has been far from impressive, Skipworth’s defense has been a joy to watch and it’s not like the team could expect much from Mathis’ bat, either.

For more player injury updates and other news, please stay tuned to Marlin Maniac.