Miami Marlins: Remainder of 2021 Season Key for Elieser Hernandez

It is no secret that the Miami Marlins have arguably one of the best young cores of starting pitchers in all of baseball.

Miami will enter next season with three top young arms set in their starting rotation with Sandy Alcantara, Trevor Rogers, and Pablo Lopez. However, based on this seasons success up to this point, you could make an excellent case for Zach Thompson to factor in somewhere as well.

With three, maybe four, spots in the rotation seemingly filled, a couple of the Marlins top pitching prospects will also be ready to contribute in the big leagues next season. Sixto Sanchez is a 100% given in the rotation if he is healthy, while Edward Cabrera, Braxton Garrett, and potentially Max Meyer will be major league ready.

With the numerous talent and depth evident, there are multiple different players vying for possibly two spots in the rotation going into next season. One player however that has potentially been forgotten about due to injuries this season has been Elieser Hernandez, a player that needs to have a strong remainder of the 2021 season.

Remainder of 2021 season key for Miami Marlins pitcher Elieser Hernandez.

Recently activated from the 60-day IL, Hernandez made his return to the field on Sunday going 5.1 innings allowing one run on four hits, one walk, and four strikeouts in a no-decision.

This was only the third appearance of the season for Hernandez, his first since June 3 in Pittsburgh. Across his three starts this season, the 26-year-old right-hander has posted a 2.84 ERA across 12.2 innings pitched with one walk and 13 strikeouts.

Currently in year four in the big leagues with Miami, Hernandez has shown flashes of how good he can be, most evident by his impressive 2020 season a year ago. With his 2021 season shortened by injuries up to this point, the next month and a half become very important for Hernandez.

It seems almost evident that the Marlins will trade some of their pitching depth in the offseason for some offensive help. While Miami has multiple arms that would be intriguing to teams, Hernandez will certainly be a name sought-after as he is a pitcher who has shown flashes at times, has big league experience, and is still under team-control for multiple seasons.

The Marlins could end up trading a few arms from a loaded rotation for help in other areas, but does it make sense to potentially trade Hernandez?

A player that has experience both starting and relieving, the 2022 outlook for Hernandez could be in either. Could Hernandez be best in the bullpen as a long-relief option, or as a back-end of the rotation starter? We should get those answers at some point in the very near future.

With a season full of injuries, the remainder of the 2021 campaign will be key for Hernandez to re-cement himself in the Miami Marlins 2022 rotation. Now finally healthy, Sunday’s start was an excellent way to do just that, and will be something to watch for going forward.