Marlins Manager Clayton McCullough Shares Update on Injured Ace Sandy Alcántara

Clayton McCullough has only been the Miami Marlins' manager for two weeks, but he is already well aware of who his ace will be.

Sandy Alcántara, the 2022 NL Cy Young winner, is far and away the most accomplished pitcher on Miami's roster. Even though the right-hander missed the entire 2024 campaign after undergoing Tommy John surgery in October 2023, he is tracking for a big return in 2025.

McCullough was a guest on MLB Network Radio on Wednesday, and he said he saw Alcántara take the mound just last week.

"He looked great, he sounded great, felt like he was really right on track at this point," McCullough said. "Sandy's such a hard worker and such an important part and a leader of this pitching staff – and this team – that all signs point to things looking very positive for the start of the season."

McCullough, who was previously the Los Angeles Dodgers' first base coach, was part of a coaching staff that seemed to have Alcántara's number over the past few years. In six career starts against the Dodgers, Alcántara is 2-3 with an 8.68 ERA and 1.862 WHIP.

Still, McCullough appreciates just how tough it is for batters to face Alcántara, and he was even impressed by the rehab bullpen session he saw the 29-year-old righty throw this fall.

"Certainly, I've been a fan of Sandy's, having to compete against him on the other side," McCullough said. "We were in Miami in September and Sandy was throwing a live BP. And watching it was like, 'Wow.' I mean, it was electric."

"He's such an important leader for this team."

Sandy Alcántara returns to the top of the #Marlins rotation in 2025. @Marlins | #MarlinsBeisbol
🔗 https://t.co/fGPbvbjGlC pic.twitter.com/TW3EObscIV
— MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM (@MLBNetworkRadio) November 27, 2024

Between 2018 and 2022, Alcántara went 34-43 with a 3.09 ERA, 1.135 WHIP, 8.0 strikeouts per nine innings and a 16.9 WAR. His numbers slipped a bit in 2024, when he went 7-12 with a 4.14 ERA, 1.213 WHIP, 7.4 strikeouts per nine innings and a 3.4 WAR, but he still led all of MLB with three complete games that season.

Alcántara initially joined Miami's rotation in September 2018, and the only time he missed between then and his elbow surgery five years later was a one-month stretch in the COVID-shortened 2020 season. His 858.1 innings between 2019 and 2023 led the entire National League, and his 12 complete games are twice as many as any other MLB pitcher in that span.

It remains to be seen if Alcántara will continue to be that extreme of an innings-eater coming off a lost season, or if McCullough will ease him back into his workload.

The rest of the Malins' starting rotation is expected to be made up of Jesús Luzardo, Braxton Garrett, Edward Cabrera and Ryan Weathers, all of whom dealt with injuries of their own in 2024. None of those four surpassed 100 innings this past season, but they are all in line to be ready for Spring Training alongside Alcántara.

Eury Pérez, on the other hand, isn't expected back until the All-Star break after undergoing Tommy John surgery of his own in April.

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