After Miami's bullpen was able to hold onto a lead in Monday afternoon's 3-2 victory over the Washington Nationals, the Marlins found out Tuesday they will be without reliever Carter Capps, who was placed on the 15-day disabled list with a right elbow sprain. Joe Frisaro of MLB.com was among the first to report the move.
#Marlins Carter Capps to DL, retro to 5/26, with a right elbow sprain. RH Arquimedes Caminero recalled from NOLA.
— Joe Frisaro (@JoeFrisaro) May 27, 2014
Capps, acquired in the Logan Morrison trade with the Seattle Mariners, is a hard throwing right hander who has hit 101 mph with his fastball at times. The move is reportedly is retroactive to Monday, and hurts a Marlins bullpen that has sought consistency since the beginning of the year.
Capps, in twelve innings pitched, posted an even 3.00 ERA and a 2.39 FIP. Capps didn't make the trip to Washington with the club, remaining in Miami and undergoing an MRI which revealed the identified sprain. Capps may be cleared to throw again in approximately four weeks.
"We feel like right now, it's something that can be treated with rest," manager Mike Redmond said. "He's going to go four weeks without throwing. He will be down for an extended period of time, and then building back up, and we'll go from there."
Following a pair of nice outings, Capps began to struggle. In outings against Milwaukee and Philadelphia, he gave up one and two runs, respectively.
Velocity isn't an issue for Capps, but because he is known for his plus fastball, the elbow injury is an obvious concern. Capps was working on his delivery in Triple-A before being promoted to give the Marlins a late inning relief option.
In the corresponding move, the Marlins recalled Arquimedes Caminero from Triple-A New Orleans. It will be Caminero's second stint with the Marlins, after he gave up seven runs in four and two third innings before being demoted.
Caminero's struggles continued in his brief stint in Triple-A. In 19 innings, he was 1-1 with a 6.63 ERA. Caminero is already on the 40-man roster, making the move relatively easy. While the Marlins do have other bullpen depth, making another move would be difficult because of the roster situation. Rafael Furcal was recently moved to the 60-day DL, making room for Anthony DeSclafani on the 40-man.
As the Marlins seek consistent relief, losing Capps is key. However, the injury will force A.J. Ramos, Chris Hatcher, and Mike Dunn to all step up to bridge the gap to Steve Cishek.