Marlins place Drew Steckenrider on 10-Day IL

The Miami Marlins have announced that relief pitcher Drew Steckenrider has been placed n the 10-day IL and the team has recalled Jose Quijada from Triple-A.

The Miami Marlins placed reliever Drew Steckenrider on the 10-day injured list with an elbow injury on Wednesday and in a corresponding move recalled reliever Jose Quijada from Triple-A New Orleans, the team announced.

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Per Joe Frisaro of MLB.com, ” Steckenrider last appeared in Monday’s 6-5 win over the Cubs at Wrigley Field, tossing a scoreless inning. His four-seam fastball velocity averaged 93.5 mph, and his maximum velocity was 94.4 mph, according to Statcast.“His low was 91.4 mph. Steckenrider’s velocity wasn’t that far off from his season average of 94.7 mph. It was 94.6 mph last year.”

Steckenrider was cast as the team’s closer out of Spring Training, but like the majority of the staff in the bullpen, consistency has been an issue so far this season.

This injury opens the door for Quijada, who has looked promising in his time at Triple-A New Orleans and has a future in the Majors on the Marlins pitching staff.

Quijada makes his second trip to Miami after a short stint earlier this year when he took the mound on April 25 at Philadelphia.

In two appearances, he has thrown one total inning, allowing no runs on one hit with three strikeouts and one walk.

I wonder if a solid performance by Quijada could lead to a shakeup in the bullpen for the Marlins, who are still trying to find dependable arms to support the young starters in the rotation.

The Marlins still need Steckenrider to find his rhythm as well if the bullpen is going to improve this season.

“Used primarily in setup situations, Steckenrider has struggled to keep the ball in the yard. Of the nine hits he has allowed, six have been home runs,” Frisaro wrote.“In 15 appearances, the 28-year-old is 0-2 with a 6.28 ERA, 14 strikeouts and five walks.”

Quijada has spent the past six seasons in the Marlins minor league system. The Venezuelan native signed with Miami through free agency on September 9th, 2013. He is another pitching prospect that makes the organization one of the more improved minor league systems in the Majors.

The Marlins have a combined ERA of 4.78 for the season, which isn’t bad considering the start to their season at 10-25. Sergio Romo leads the team with six saves. Steckenrider has pitched 14.1 innings for the season in 15 appearances.