Giancarlo Stanton's return date pushed back and unknown

On June 26, Giancarlo Stanton broke his hand while swinging and missing at a pitch. The ball did not hit him, but rather the bat dug into his hand and fractured it. Two days later, Stanton had surgery to repair his fractured hand, which would keep him out of the lineup for 4-6 weeks. An unlikely, freak injury at the time was just a prime example of how nothing could seem to go right for the Marlins in 2015.

Fast forward to Monday, which was just over five weeks since Stanton's surgery, the Marlins released more bad news about their superstar slugger:

"He isn't swinging like me or you," Miami president of baseball operations Michael Hill said. "I wish I had more clarity. But until he starts swinging [freely], we can't put a timeline on it. There was still some discomfort gripping the bat. Until he is comfortable doing that, I don't have a timeline."

"He's not ready to take the next step," Hill said. "He tries it every day."

On July 20, Giancarlo was cleared for dry swings, which was classified as 'step one' in his rehabilitation process. He had began hitting off a tee as well, but after experiencing discomfort in the recovering hand, Stanton's rehab process has been slowed down and his return date has been pushed back.

The team currently has no time frame for when Stanton's return could be, as it all relies on his hand feeling fine. The next steps in the rehab process are to take live batting practice and then to partake in a rehab assignment, so Marlins fans could be looking at waiting at least a few more weeks until their star player returns to the lineup.

The Marlins are not in contention for any playoff spots so there is likely no rush to get him back into the lineup. Before the injury, Stanton was on pace to set career highs in home runs and RBI's. He was also on pace to eclipse the 40 home run total for the first time in his career. He currently sits with 27 home runs and 67 RBI's to go along with a .265/.346/.666 slashing line.

To say the Marlins have been decimated by injuries in 2015 would be an understatement. The club has had five opening day starters, as well as four pitchers from the starting rotation, land on the disabled list. That list includes the Marlins' top players, such as Martin Prado, Dee Gordon, Henderson Alvarez, Christian Yelich, and Stanton. Constant injuries not allowing the Marlins to have a team at full strength for an extended period of time are a big reason for the clubs struggles in 2015.