May 7, 2013; San Diego, CA, USA; San Diego Padres right fielder Will Venable (25) breaks up a double play attempt by Miami Marlins third baseman Chris Valaika (13) during the third inning at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

The Miami Marlins currently as many wins (10) as they do players on the disabled list (10). Unfortunately for the Fish, the number of players on the DL seem to be growing faster than the digits in the win column. Starting pitcher Alex Sanabia and second baseman Chris Valaika both left Tuesday’s loss with injuries.

Alex Sanabia labored through his 4 1/3 innings before leaving with a tight groin. Sanabia surrendered four runs on nine hits, while striking out three and walking two. In the fifth, after striking out Yonder Alonso, catcher Miguel Olivo sensed something was wrong with Sanabia and went to visit him on the mound. After talking for a minute, Olivo motioned for the Marlins training staff to come to the mound.

Manager Mike Redmond took the ball from Sanabia and brought in Ryan Webb to relieve the right hander. Sanabia will reevaluated tomorrow and could be placed on the disabled list if the injury is severe enough. The Marlins are already down two starters in Nathan Eovaldi and Henderson Alvarez.

In the bottom of the eight inning, the Marlins received another huge scare. On a stolen base attempt, Alonso ran into second baseman Chris Valaika and knocked him over. Valaika injured his hand on the play and left the game immediately. Chris Coghlan was brought into replace Valaika, making his first appearance at second base since his MLB debut (5/8/10).

The Marlins have quite a few options to call up from their 40-man roster if Sanabia is forced to the DL. Duane Below and Brad Hand could be options as starters.  The team also has a number of relievers that could get the call, with Tom Koehler moving into the rotation.

Not sure if Jacob Turner is an option for the Fish at this time, but the team could sure use him at this point.

If Valaika heads to the DL, the Marlins only options on the 40-man roster are outfield prospect Kyle Jensen or Austin Kearns returning from the bereavement list. Not sure if Kearns is ready to return to the team, but he would have to be off the active roster for at least one more game.

If the Marlins go with one of the outfielders, they will have no choice but to move Coghlan back to second and keep Nick Green in his utility role. Either way, the Marlins are starting to run out of hitting options on their 40-man roster.

Here is a look at the Marlins disabled list as of right now:

@gobblex239 you forgot Ceda and Silverio. twitter.com/MarlinsChick87…

— crystal thrower (@MarlinsChick87) May 8, 2013

Stay tuned to Marlin Maniac for the latest injury updates on Valaika, Sanabia, and the rest of the 10-man disabled list roster.

Update 1:20 AM: 

#Marlins P Alex Sanabia (groin) said he doesn’t expect to miss his next start. Said test results positive. No word on Valaika yet — Manny Navarro (@Manny_Navarro) May 8, 2013

Update 1:26 AM:

#Marlins utility man Chris Valaika said he has a small fracture on his left radius bone on his wrist.

— Manny Navarro (@Manny_Navarro) May 8, 2013

Mar 19, 2013; Jupiter, FL, USA; Miami Marlins starting pitcher Jacob Turner (33) throws during a spring training game against the St. Louis Cardinals at Roger Dean Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

Jacob Turner got the locker tag today, the Marlins announced.  A lack of command and struggles keeping his pitches down in the zone means that the 21-year-old will start his season in AAA New Orleans.

All indicators at the start of camp pointed to Turner being a fixture in the rotation this season. But without the big-league level consistency that is necessary to be able to be effective for five and six innings, the Marlins didn’t have much choice.  Kevin Slowey is likely to step into his slot in the rotation while he works out the kinks in the minors.

Left-hander Dan Jennings was also optioned to the Zephyrs this morning. Giving up six earned runs in eight innings of work was too much to stay in camp.

The remaining roster moves were all reassigned to minor league camp.  Third baseman Kevin Kouzmanoff was in the running to be a utility guy, but with Polanco looking like he’ll bee hitting in the cleanup spot behind Stanton, Kooz’ window is apparently closed.  Nick Green was another potential utility infielder, but a .250/.318/.300 slash line wasn’t enough to seal the deal. Long shots Matt Downs  and Jordan Brown were also sent to the Minors this morning, also after a disappointing spring at the plate.

The only pitcher sent to minor league camp this morning was lefty Zach Phillips, who pitched 6 1/3 innings this spring, giving up nine hits and three earned runs.

There are 32 players left in camp as of this morning’s moves.  Look for some more late arrivals this week.

The Miami Marlins face just this dilemma with a couple of their most promising young players who have had very different springs. Jacob Turner came into Spring Training expecting to be solidly entrenched in the middle of the Marlins rotation.  A disastrous spring may have cost Turner what appeared to be a guaranteed rotation spot according to Adam Berry at MLB.com.  The decision is expected to be announced as soon as Monday.

Mar 19, 2013; Jupiter, FL, USA; Miami Marlins starting pitcher Jacob Turner (33) throws in the first inning during a spring training game against St. Louis Cardinals at Roger Dean Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

Christian Yelich came into camp under a different set of assumptions.  He is considered the Marlins top hitting prospect, but due to his youth and inexperience there were no expectations that he would be under even the slightest consideration for making the opening day roster.  His play during Spring Training games quickly changed that as he proved to be the best player in camp.  The decision in the end was to send him down to the minors for now to get more seasoning and the guys over at Fish Stripes believe this to be the right decision.

The Marlins are a team in transition and that means we should expect to see new faces coming through constantly as the front office works to find the best talent for the future.  Joe Frisaro at the Fish Pond believes that the last two or three players to make the opening day roster are not even with the team yet.

One such player is Wilson Valdez, who was signed just last week after being released by he San Francisco Giants.  Joe Cappozi of the Palm Beach Post has Mike Redmond’s take on the signing.

Injuries also play a role on who makes the final roster and with Donovan Solano suddenly battling back trouble another unexpected roster spot may be opening up.  Adam Berry has the latest on the injury from Redmond and what it could mean if he is not ready for Opening Day.

It appears the Marlins roster will be a fluid situation all the way until the first pitch is thrown on Opening Day, but what do you think has been the biggest surprise in camp so far?

Flash forward four years and Skipworth has failed to live up to his expectations, but he still has a decent shot to make the Marlins roster, because of the injury to Mathis:

“Obviously, the circumstances that came about were not the ones that you want, as a teammate and now a friend of Jeff’s,” he said, bringing up the veteran Mathis’ collarbone injury. “You never want to see anyone get hurt.

“With that being said, often times, when guys get hurt is when people are able to have an opportunity.”

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

Skipworth has not done too much damage with his bat, something he was well touted for out of high school. He has hit a measly .167 this spring and has not shown any of the power he has been known for. Rather, his five walks in 31-plate appearances and strong defense has impressed the Marlins enough to give him a shot in the majors.

There is still a shot the Marlins sign another catcher and let Skipworth play regularly at Triple-A, but listening to Redmond, that does not seem to be in the cards:

“That’s the situation we’re in,” Redmond said. “It’s a tremendous opportunity for him. He’s a strong physical catcher. He’s got a good arm. And from what I’ve seen, he’s got some pop in his bat, too.”

Here is a look back at the articles that were posted on Marlin Maniac last week:

Game Recaps:

The Marlins played six games this week, going 2-4 this week. However, due to unforeseen circumstances, we missed the recap for Friday’s game and Andy should have his recap up later today. Here are the rest of the recaps:

Monday (3/18/13): Miami Marlins Defeat Minnesota Twins In Rain-Shortened Game

Tuesday (3/19/13): Miami Marlins Fall to St. Louis Cardinals Behind Struggling Jacob Turner, 5-4

Wednesday (3/20/13): Game Recap: Big Innings Sink LeBlanc As Washington Nationals Top Miami Marlins, 7-5

Saturday (3/23/13): Game Recap: Chris Coghlan, Miami Marlins Walk Off Against St. Louis Cardinals, 6-5

Now we will take a look back at the main articles posted on MM last week:

Ehsan Kassim:

• Here is the recap from last week: MM Weekly Recap: Miami Marlins Roster Taking Shape
• I questioned, with his soaring popularity, should the Miami Marlins look to deal their closer Steve Cishek?
• I continued my top 20 Marlin Maniac prospect list: Jose Urena was the #9 prospect, with Rob Brantly coming in at #8, and finally Adeiny Hechavarria at #7.
• Find out how the Miami Marlins have placed themselves in a no-win situation with their fans. Seems like the team is more interested in suing their fans then them attending the games.
• With no clear front-runner for the center field job, it looks like the Marlins want to use a three-man committee to man center. Also check out in this article some of the best links from around the Marlins blogosphere.
• Jeff Mathis and Logan Morrison are progressing from their injuries and both of them have set timelines for when they would like to return for action.
• I took a stab at predicting the Marlins 25-man roster for Opening Day. With some poor play and possibly some injuries, it seems like I might be slightly off.
• Speaking of struggles, Jacob Turner‘s struggles this spring could mean he starts the season in Triple-A New Orleans
• Not due to poor performance, but rather lack of experience, star prospect Christian Yelich was reassigned to minor league camp. Trust me when I say he will be back soon.
• Lastly, I took around a look around the NL East and brought you the best articles on the web for our fellow NL East teams.

Placido Estevez:

• In his Marlins Way segment, Placido wonders if it is Opening Day already?
• If Giancarlo Stanton feels lonely this season, he could always ask Miguel Cabrera for some advise. If you remember, Cabrera was in the same situation as Stanton after the 2006 season.

 Alex Agueros:

• In his Marlins Way segment, Alex talks about the infamous Chone Figgins being cut and other news on Marlins demotees.

 Geoff Parkins

• Geoff and I had a disagreement with the course of the Marlins and he posted this: The Miami Marlins: The Nuclear Option Vs. Keeping Placeholders.
• Chone Figgins and a few other players faced getting cut last week. Geoff examines what comes next.

David Polakoff:

• David made his posting debut this past week and made the rational argument that despite his struggles, Turner is just 21-years old and should not been seen as a major detriment to his future success.

Justen Rosenberg:

• In some non-Marlins related news, Justen made predictions on teams that could shock the world in 2013.

Fansided:

• March Madness 2013: Win A $100 RetailMeNot Visa Gift Card From Marlin Maniac

That does not appear to be the case, as Turner’s struggles this spring became a major concern for new skipper Mike Redmond and the Miami Marlins. Turner has posted an ugly 9.69 ERA so far this spring, allowing 14 earned runs in just 13 innings of work. He has struggled with command, walking nine and striking out just six. Turner has also allowed three home runs this spring.

Mar 19, 2013; Jupiter, FL, USA; Miami Marlins starting pitcher Jacob Turner (33) 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

On Sunday against the Houston Astros, Turner made his final audition start for the Marlins fifth starter role and it did not go well. Over 4 2/3 innings, he threw 85 pitches, with just 47 going for strikes. Turner allowed four runs on five hits, four walks and a long home run to center field while striking out one.

A final decision has not been made on Turner and his future with the team, as Redmond said team officials would meet sometime today and decide what to do with the rotation. An announcement is expected to be made Monday.

“I think the most important thing is just continue to pound the strike zone. The stuff’s there. He’s got good stuff. It’s just consistency,” Redmond said. “He’s 21 years old. That’s the biggest thing to being successful in the big leagues is the consistency of pounding the strike zone, being able to consistently deliver your pitches. Everybody works on that, especially the young guys.

If Turner does not make the team, he is expected to start the season in Triple-A New Orleans. This would allow Turner some time to work out his kinks and not have be forced out there without his best stuff against major league hitters. I believe if the command was not an issue, the Marlins would not be overly concerned with Turner.

With Turner likely out of contention for the fifth starting rotation spot, it is likely that veteran Kevin Slowey will earn that role. Slowey has pitched 13 2/3 innings this spring, allowing just four earned runs, while striking out 13 and walking just four. Slowey’s spring stats are not as good as a indicator as to what kind of pitcher he is as much as his career 4.66 ERA.

Kevin Slowey could provide some upside for the Marlins if they can get a strong half season from him and flip him to a contender for a small impact prospect at the deadline.