Marlins' 20-year-old top prospect Jose Fernandez makes Opening Day roster
With their starting rotation depleted by injuries, the Miami Marlins have opted to move 20-year-old prospect Jose Fernandez onto their Opening Day roster.
Fernandez will start the fifth game of the Marlins' season -- against the New York Mets at Citi Field on Saturday -- just one year after beginning 2012 in Single-A Greensboro.
Young pitchers Nathan Eovaldi and Henderson Alvarez, a right-hander acquired from the Blue Jays in the offseason mega-deal, will both start the season on the disabled list with shoulder injuries.
Fernandez, a 6-foot-2, 220-pounds righty, was Miami's first-round draft pick (14th overall) in 2011 -- 26 picks before Jackie Bradley Jr., who made the Red Sox's roster -- pitching just 4.1 innings in low-A and the Rookie League that year.
Last season, he posted a 14-1 record, 1.75 ERA, 158 strikeouts and just 35 walks in 134 Single-A innings, earning the No. 5 spot on Baseball America's top 100 prospects list.
From the Palm-Beach Post's Joe Capozzi:
The roster changes were announced by baseball operations president Larry Beinfest. The team was at Nationals Park this morning for a workout.
The rotation for Week 1 will be Nolasco, Kevin Slowey and Wade LeBlanc in Washington with Sanabia followed by Nolasco and Fernandez in New York. The Marlins are off Tuesday.
The opening day lineup for the Marlins has only one holdover from last year’s Game 1 lineup.
