Key Miami Marlins starting pitcher may be dealing with an injury

There's some troubling news regarding Miami Marlins starting pitcher Braxton Garrett. We can already project The Fish's lineup and batting order for the upcoming season. The rotation might be more of a question mark however, though some starters are heavily underrated. The question now is what will happen with Garrett, will he be fine come Opening Day?

Miami Marlins starting pitcher Braxton Garrett might be dealing with an injury.

Braxton Garrett seemed like pitching depth rather than a major part of the staff, going into last season. From 2020-2021 he produced a 5.18 ERA/5.07 FIP, with 8.6 K/9 and 5.4 BB/9 in 10 games and 41.2 innings pitched. In 2022, Garrett started showing some more upside. He produced a 3.58 ERA/3.56 FIP, with 9.2 K/9 and 2.5 BB/9, in 17 games and 88.0 innings pitched. I remember thinking that he was being overlooked as there was no hype around him.

2023 saw Braxton Garrett emerge as a key part of the rotation. He produced a 3.66 ERA/3.68 FIP, with 8.8 K/9 and 1.6 BB/9, in 31 games and 159.2 innings pitched. He looked like a legitimate mid-rotation arm with upside, but things are not looking as good now. Miami Marlins Manager Skip Schumaker had some worrying things to say about Garrett.

Skip said that Garrett is dealing with "general soreness" in his left shoulder. He made clear that Garrett is not expected to miss the start of the season, but sadly we know that it's often not as optimistic as this. If Garrett continues to have soreness and it gets worse, he may need surgery and miss a large part of the season. He may also need rehab and miss time for that as well. We can of course hope that it's just mild soreness and that he'll be fine. He's apparently been playing catch.

If Braxton Garrett ends up needing surgery or to miss time at all, The Fish could be in serious trouble. Garrett is one of the starters who is tasked with carrying the rotation in 2024, losing him for any extended period of time is simply catastrophic for the team.