Marlins Roster Moves: Prado gets knee surgery, Wittgren placed on DL

The Marlins have been pretty bad this season for a multitude of reasons, but injury is definitely one of them.

The fish were hit with another blow Friday as FanRag’s Jon Heyman reported Martin Prado would be getting surgery on his injured knee.

It was first reported that Prado would miss the rest of the season, but the Miami Herald’s Clark Spencer noted the third baseman could return near the end of the season.

Prado was diagnosed with a right knee sprain and placed on the disabled list July 18, but obviously the injury became more serious than that. It was the third trip to the DL with a lower body injury this season for the 33-year-old infielder. Prado missed six weeks between May and June with a hamstring strain, an injury sustained in the World Baseball Classic that originally kept him out for the first two weeks of the season.

The injuries aren’t a good look for Prado or the Marlins, who signed the infielder to a three-year, $40 million deal in the offseason. The team may now have to reconsider if Prado can actually hold down the hot corner for the next two seasons as top prospect Brian Anderson nips at his heels in Triple-A.

If losing his bat wasn’t enough, the Marlins will also most likely not be able to move Prado at the upcoming trade deadline. Prado was reportedly going to be available, and the Red Sox and Yankees were showing interest.

The Yankees already picked up their new third baseman in Todd Frazier, but the Red Sox have only acquired Eduardo Nunez and still may be looking for an upgrade at the hot corner. Boston’s deep farm system could have made them a perfect trade partner for the Marlins, but, of course, now it all falls through.

The Marlins could try to trade Prado in the offseason, but all of his injury issues could very likely cause teams to stay away from 12-year veteran. So, it looks like the Fish will be stuck with Prado for the final two years of his deal.

All of Prado’s offensive numbers have dropped off since last season, and his .279 on-base percentage is abysmal, especially for a corner infielder. He has appeared in only 37 games in 2017, while Anderson is continuing to hit everywhere he goes.

Miami’s No. 3 overall prospect is hitting .349 with three home runs in 43 at-bats since being moved up to Triple-A July 15. Many fans are calling for the Marlins to move on to Anderson at the hot corner, and to be honest, it may be time.

Prado sits on the disabled list alongside Justin Bour, JT Riddle, Edinson Volquez, Brad Ziegler, Kyle Barraclough and Wei-Yin Chen, and now one more Marlin will head to the mend.

The team placed RHP Nick Wittgren on the 10-day DL Friday (retroactive to July 27) with a right elbow strain, making him the third regular bullpen member to hit the injury list. Wittgren has pitched to a 4.68 ERA and 1.39 WHIP while striking out 43 batters and walking 13 in 42.1 innings this season.

RHP Odrisamer Despaigne was recalled to take Wittgren’s place in the bullpen for the time being. Despaigne allowed five earned runs and walked eight batters over 5.2 innings in a brief stint with the Marlins earlier this season.