Miami Marlins observations: Trevor Rogers’ spring debut, lineup projection, roster cuts

Miami Marlins left-handed pitcher Trevor Rogers had two objectives in his first outing of spring training on Tuesday.

“Fill the zone and really have my body feel good,” Rogers said.

Rogers accomplished both tasks when he tossed two shutout innings in a 2-0 win over the Houston Astros at the Cacti Park of the Palm Beaches. It was Rogers’ first appearance in a live game since his 2023 season ended due to a pair of injuries — first a left biceps strain that landed him on the injured list in April and then a right lat tear that surfaced while warming up for what was supposed to be his final rehab start in early June.

Rogers gave up just one hit — a one-out double to Jose Abreu on an elevated splitter — against an Astros lineup filled with players who will be on their Opening Day roster.

Rogers threw 23 pitches overall, 18 landing for strikes. His four-seam fastball topped out at 95 mph, and he mixed in all four of his pitches (four-seam fastball, sinker, slider and splitter).

“Just really happy to get out there and compete again,” Rogers said.

Because of how much time Rogers missed last season, the Marlins decided to ease him into his throwing progression when spring training began. That’s not something Rogers necessarily wanted to hear considering how long of a layoff he had, but the 26-year-old understood the thought process behind it.

“We’ve got seven months ahead of us,” said Rogers, who was the runner-up for the National League Rookie of the Year in 2021 before having a poor 2022 season and the injury-shortened 2023 campaign. “I’ve really got to look at the long-term picture and really be smart with my body. ... We’re all on the same page and really taking this slow and steady.”

Tuesday was the latest step for Rogers to show he is returning to form.

Rogers retired the side in the first inning by getting Jose Altuve to groundout to shortstop, striking out Yordan Alvarez looking on a 95 mph fastball and Alex Bregman to fly out to left field.

In the second, Kyle Tucker lined out to left-center field, with center fielder Nick Gordon making a running and diving grab to rob Tucker of a hit. Abreu then got his double before Yanier Diaz lined into an inning-ending double play.

“There’s a lot of positives today overall with Trevor,” Marlins manager Skip Schumaker said. “You could see him coming off the mound happy, smiling. It’s a big relief. When you come back, you don’t know until you go out there. You can do as many bullpens as possible, but until that first live [batting practice] and then obviously in a game situation, that’s when you figure out exactly if you’re ready and healthy and fully ready to go. He checked a lot of boxes today.”

As for what’s next on Rogers’ to-do list?

“Pretty much the same thing,” Rogers said. “Plus one more inning.”

Lineup projection

Schumaker insists not to read too much into how lineups are constructed early in spring training. The priority during the first couple weeks is to make sure the key players in the lineup that day are higher in the order so that they can get their two or three at-bats by the midway mark of the game and retreat to the clubhouse.

But as camp nears the halfway point and starters begin to stay in games longer, there is beginning to be some clarity as to how Schumaker will handle his lineup.

Second baseman Arraez will almost assuredly retain his spot as the Marlins’ leadoff hitter. Having a two-time defending batting champion at the top of the order — in the spot where he had the most success — logically makes too much sense to mess with.

From there, it Schumaker has flexibility.

The primary four players for spots 2-5 include (in no particular order) first baseman Josh Bell (switch-hitter), third baseman Jake Burger (right-handed hitter), center fielder Jazz Chisholm Jr. (left-handed hitter) and shortstop Tim Anderson (right-handed hitter). All four have the potential to hit for power and average.

From there, it would be the two corner outfielders and the designated hitter — for the sake of simplicity, lefty Jesus Sanchez plus righties Bryan De La Cruz and Avisail Garcia, regardless of who plays where.

The catcher, either Nick Fortes or Christian Bethancourt, would round out the lineup.

Things can obviously fluctuate depending on when players need a day out of the lineup or the pitching matchup they face.

But this is a starting point on what could be expected when the season begins.

Roster cuts

The Marlins on Tuesday made their first cuts of major-league camp.

Among the six players either reassigned to minor-league camp or optioned include a pair of top prospects in infielder Jacob Berry (Miami’s No. 5 prospect, according to MLB Pipeline) and left-handed pitcher Patrick Monteverde (Miami’s No. 20 prospect).

The other four: left-handed pitcher Kent Emanuel, right-handed pitchers Jeff Lindgren and Darren McCaughan and catcher Bennett Hostetler.

This and that

▪ Left-handed pitcher Ryan Weathers continues to impress so far through spring training. After four shutout innings on Tuesday against the Astros, Weathers has allowed just two runs over 8 2/3 innings while striking out 10. Weathers remains in consideration for the Marlins’ season-opening rotation.

▪ Right-handed relief pitcher JT Chargois (neck spasms) threw his first live batting practice session on Tuesday. He will likely need at least one more live BP session before getting into a spring training game.