Miami Marlins: Roster change could be coming once again

With the news that some players affected by the Coronavirus could be ready play once again, the Miami Marlins could be changing their roster shortly.

The Miami Marlins roster could once again change in the coming future.

While there is no date set for the return of players who have been affected by the Coronavirus, there is good news from the organization that some are getting closer to being cleared to return to preparing to play again.

And then another question will be answered: Who remains on the team’s current roster and how many lineup changes will manager Don Mattingly have to make to keep the team moving forward?

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My question would be if the Miami Marlins are winning baseball games now and are in first place with the current roster, why make changes in the first place?

Of course, changes will be made and Mattingly will be asked to play a new game of chess. The pitching staff could be stronger, and more power could be added to the middle of the batting order. The way the front office and coaching staff has made moves that have paid off has been admirable. Now, Mattingly must show he is adaptable as his roster has been the first month of the season.

“The Marlins had 18 players test positive for COVID-19 early in the season, and starting pitching was especially hit hard,” Joe Frisaro of MLB.com wrote.

The pitching staff lost three of its first four starters. It appears Opening Day starter Sandy Alcantara may be ahead of Caleb Smith and Jose Urena. Adding him to the staff, where Elieser Hernandez and Pablo Lopez have picked up the slack for the other three, has been just what this team needed.

The Marlins will send Daniel Castano, 0-1 this season, to the mound to face Max Fried of the Braves, who is 3-0 with a 1.59 ERA this year so far.

Mattingly knows his starters are on the mend and will join the team at some time, but knowing an exact date is hard to pin down right now.

“Saying when they’re going to be back is tough, but we do feel like in the next few days, we’re going to have guys that are cleared to start working out,” Mattingly said on Friday during a Zoom call.”

The Marlins have also been without outfielders Garrett Cooper and Harold Ramirez as well as catcher Jorge Alfaro. Their return should help at the plate as well. Mattingly has been focused on the pitching staff because it has carried this team until recently.

“Being reinstated is a process that requires a battery of medical tests, as well as abiding by the health and safety protocols set forth by MLB and the MLB Players Association,” Frisaro added.Mattingly said at least some of the players progressing in their recovery are in the process of having their heart tests taken.”