Marlins catcher Jorge Alfaro still dealing with knee swelling

The Miami Marlins are still without the services of catcher Jorge Alfaro who is still dealing with knee swelling from an injury he suffered in the Marlins first Spring Training game.

The Miami Marlins are still without the services of catcher Jorge Alfaro who is dealing with swelling in his knee he suffered while chasing a foul popup last Saturday in the Marlins’ spring training opener.

According to ESPN.com, he won’t play again until Monday at the earliest. This is not how the Marlins had hoped Alfaro, who was brought over in the trade that sent J.T. Realmuto to the Philadelphia Phillies, would start his career in a Miami uniform. The good news is it is still early in Spring Training, which gives manager Don Mattingly a chance to see other prospects at the position.

"“We’re just going to take it slowly,” Alfaro said, who is expected to be Miami’s Opening Day catcher."

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The position is a bit thin with Chad Wallach and Bryan Holaday the only two catchers in camp with experience on the Major League level. The news is positive, however, as Jorge Alfaro continues to make progress toward returning to the team. He played in a simulated game on Friday, along with Martin Prado and Curtis Granderson, who made their Spring Training debuts over the weekend.

The change from Realmuto to Alfaro could be significant at the plate. Alfaro hit .262 with 10 homers and 37 RBIs in 377 plate appearances for the Phillies last season. Realmuto was the team’s top home run hitter in 2018 and is considered one of the best all-around catchers in the Majors today.

Jorge Alfaro will be asked to help mold a pitching rotation that will feature young and developing arms on the back end of the starting five. Also, the bullpen could look different from last season. As a receiver, Alfaro must also get acclimated to working with a new pitching staff.

Santiago Chavez got the start behind the plate on Sunday in a 6-5 loss to the Atlanta Braves. Rodrigo Vigil also saw time in the game.

In other news: The game against the Braves on Sunday was not a good outing for veteran starter Dan Straily, who was rocked by Atlanta hitters. In 2 1/3 innings, Straily gave up four hits and three runs. All of the runs were earned. He did have two strikeouts, but he also gave up two home runs, one to Tyler Flowers and one to Adam Duvall.

The Marlins are now 2-7 in Spring Training games this year.