Miami Marlins must shut down ace for the season

Neil Raymond

Sandy Alcantara / Mitchell Layton/GettyImages

It's sad how fast things can sometimes move. Just a few days ago, I wrote about Miami Marlins ace Sandy Alcantara wanting to pitch again this season. He pitched a rehab start in the Minor Leagues...and it didn't go very well. Sandy felt forearm tightness and now his outlook is once again cloudy. What's next? Wwhat should the team do about this?

Miami Marlins ace Sandy Alcantara may require Tommy John Surgery.

Tommy John Surgery is the most ominous sentence in a pitcher's career. We're past the days when a UCL injury was career-ending. Tommy John Surgery is usually successful, and a player is able to come back with little to no problem. He does however end up missing a season and that spending the enxt couple building up his arm strength.

TJS is not always the solution to curing a UCL tear. It's sometimes possible to heal it with simple rest. Sandy Alcantara definitely needs rest, and shouldn't be pitching until he's healed. I admire his will to win, and desire to help The Fish in a run for the playoffs. Unfortunately, it just doesn't look like the time to do that. The 2022 National League Cy Young award winner hasn't been himself all season.

Sandy's Beach was the place to be in 2022. That season, Sandy had a 2.28 ERA/2.99 FIP with 8.1 K/9 and 2.0 BB/9 in 32 games and 228.2 innings pitched. This season he has a 4.14 ERA/4.04 FIP, with 7.4 K/9 and 2.3 BB/9 in 28 games and 184.2 innings pitched. It's not a typical Sandy Alcantara season, as he has a 3.32 ERA/3.77 FIP with 7.9 K/9 and 2.7 BB/9 for his career. It was clear that something was wrong all season, and now we know what it was.

Sandy Alcantara's health is the priority, and maybe rest can get him ready for next season. I would definitely prefer it if he didn't have to go through Tommy John Surgery. As much as Sandy wants to help the team, it's time to shut him down for the season and let him recover. I don't see anything good coming from him pitching while injured.

Neil Raymond

Neil Raymond has been a lifelong Miami Marlins fan, with the 2003 playoff run being one of his favorite childhood memories. Neil has been called a "walking encyclopedia" for his knowledge of MLB statistics and the sport's history. He follows every game and actually invented his own statistic for player value on his side project BaseballAnalyzed.com. Writing for Fansided's Marlin Maniac since 2022, he also loves Fantasy Baseball and as such is an FSWA member. Neil also loves to travel, read and follow "Futbol" teams: Germany, Argentina, Greece, Inter Miami, Bayern Munich and NYC FC.