In addition to broken fingernail, Marlins announce Eury Perez has elbow soreness

Eury Perez is dealing with more than just a broken fingernail.

The Miami Marlins on Saturday announced that Perez, their ballyhooed 20-year-old right handed pitcher, began experiencing elbow soreness on Thursday — one day after exiting his outing early on Wednesday due to discomfort from the broken nail on his right middle finger.

According to the Marlins, imaging and testing have already begun and will continue over the next few days.

Perez has been dealing with the broken nail since his second spring start on March 2 and has only thrown eight innings through four spring outings.

On Wednesday, his most recent outing, the Marlins removed Perez after 14 pitches due to discomfort that Perez said came from the fake nail he wore over his broken nail “lifting a little bit.”

Marlins pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre Jr., speaking Saturday before the injury news became public, said he noticed Perez was starting to change his mechanics during the outing.

“Once that happens,” Stottlemyre said, “for me, the day’s over.”

The Marlins on Friday had said Perez’s throwing program was going to be paused for three to four days.

Perez entered spring training expected to handle a heavier workload this season after impressing as a rookie.

Now, that is in jeopardy depending on the severity of his elbow injury.

He made his highly anticipated MLB debut on May 12 at 20 years and 27 days old — making him the youngest pitcher in franchise history to make his Major League debut and the youngest for a Dominican-born starting pitcher all-time — and went on to make 19 starts. He pitched to a 3.15 ERA over 91 1/3 innings, striking out 108 batters while walking just 31 and holding opponents to a .214 batting average against.

He is the third member of the Marlins’ projected starting rotation to be dealing with an injury this spring.

Left-handed pitcher Braxton Garrett, Miami’s de-facto No. 2 starter at the end of last season after Sandy Alcantara was sidelined because of an elbow injury that ultimately needed Tommy John surgery, had shoulder soreness at the start of camp delay his throwing progression. Garrett threw a multiple inning bullpen on Wednesday and is slated to throw a live batting practice session on Sunday.

Then Edward Cabrera was removed from his start on Sunday before throwing a pitch due to shoulder tightness that an MRI reveled to be a right shoulder impingement. Cabrera has played catch each of the past two days.

“It is frustrating,” Stottlemyre said about the rash of injuries to Miami’s starting pitchers. “I know other clubs are going through a lot of the same things, [but] you’re talking about some really important rotation pieces, and that part hurts.”