Watch live: Dee Gordon returns to Marlins after PED suspension

On April 29, Miami Marlins second baseman Dee Gordon was suspended 80 games for testing positive for PEDs. This was pretty bad news for the Marlins, as Gordon had spent 2015 hitting like a mad man and ended the season with a .333 average and the National League batting title. He was supposed to anchor their team of young players, but instead he’d be sitting out nearly half the season.

Eighty games later, Gordon is ready to return to the Marlins. His suspension is up Thursday and he made an apology video for his fans before his first game back, in which he’ll return to his lead-off role.

Gordon is ready to come back to the Marlins, but the Marlins are a different team than they were 80 games ago. On April 29, the Marlins were struggling to get back to a .500 record. But now, they’re actually contending. They’ve won 55 games (fifth most in the NL), they’re second in the NL East (1.5 games ahead of the New York Mets and five games behind the Washington Nationals), and they’re currently holding on to the second NL Wild Card spot.

You can watch Dee Gordon and the contending Marlins when they face the St. Louis Cardinals because it’s Yahoo Sports’ MLB Free Game of the Day! The contest, which starts at 7:10 p.m. ET, can be streamed at Yahoo’s Sports Home, MLB index, video home, the Yahoo Sports app and this very post. Local blackouts apply per MLB rules.

While it’s a little surprising that the Marlins are in this spot (especially considering their recent history), the way they’ve achieved it isn’t new. Very simply: their offense is outstanding. Like Peter Frampton before him, Catcher J.T. Realmuto has come alive in 2016, hitting .313 and improving his 2015 average by 54 points. Center fielder Marcell Ozuna is hitting a shocking .297 after averaging .265 in his first three MLB seasons. Christian Yelich has actually improved on his stellar 2015, which is fantastic considering he batted .300 that year. Third baseman Martin Prado, who at 32 is the oldest everyday player on the team, is hitting .324 and having the best season of his career. And the mighty Giancarlo Stanton has been slowly climbing out of his extended slump, hitting .321 in July and raising his average by 26 points.

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Derek Dietrich had huge shoes to fill at second base when Gordon was suspended, but he’s performed surprisingly well, hitting over .300 through June. He’s had a tough July (his average has fallen 30 points), and with Gordon returning from his suspension, manager Don Mattingly has a difficult decision ahead of him.

Starter Jose Fernandez, in his first full season back from Tommy John surgery, has been his brilliant self. In addition to a 2.54 ERA, he’s the MLB leader in strikeouts per nine innings, and his 175 Ks is second in all of baseball. But besides Fernandez and Adam Conley, the Marlins are a little short on starting pitching. They could use another arm (at least), and they’ve had their eye on Philadelphia Phillies starter Jeremy Hellickson.

But here’s the problem: the Marlins’ farm system is tragically thin, which tends to happen when you graduate all your young players to the majors. The Phillies want a prospect in exchange for Hellickson, and the Marlins have just one realistic option: first baseman Josh Naylor, who is currently holding his own in Single-A. That’s a lot to give up for a pitcher who is only signed until the end of the season, but he’s all the Marlins have to give.

The team Dee Gordon is returning to is so different than the one he was suspended from in April, but the Marlins are in a tough spot right now. Even with a lot of baseball left, they can see the promised land. But actually getting there might hurt a bit.

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Liz Roscher is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email her at lizroscher@yahoo.com or follow her on twitter! Follow @lizroscher