Marlins Trim Spring Training Roster, Sending Several to Minor League Camp
The Miami Marlins are, slowly, whittling down their options for Opening Day.
Between Monday and Tuesday, ten different players left major league camp for the minor league side.
Sunday was the larger group of moves, with eight players officially moving. Being reassigned to minor league camp were several pitchers, righties Matt Andriese, Luarbert Arias, and Kyle Tyler, as well as catcher Paul McIntosh. Being optioned to the minors were four more players, righthanded pitcher Roddery Muñoz and position players Jacob Amaya, Jonah Bride, and Victor Mesa Jr.
(A player that is on the 40-man roster must be optioned to the minor league, while a non-roster invitee can be reassigned to minor league camp at any time.)
Some more moves were made on Tuesday, per members of the beat in Jupiter, including non-roster invitees 1B/OF Troy Johnston and OF Griffin Conine being reassigned to minor league camp.
These moves leave the spring training roster at 51 players but expect more moves to come. There are still five catchers and twelve infielders in camp, per the team's game notes, so further reductions in the number of players in camp are bound to come from that group of positions.
And minor league options will probably be important in determining the final major league bench for Opening Day. After backup catcher Nick Fortes and utilityman Jon Berti, there's only two positions left on the bench and several options that could be lost on waivers if they're sent to the minors.
Vidal Bruján, one of GM Peter Bendix's first offseason acquisitions from his old Tampa Bay organization, can play both infield and outfield and is out of options, as is February trade acquisition Nick Gordon.
Additionally, veterans C Curt Casalli and 1B Trey Mancini, both in camp on minor league deals, may potentially have release date clauses in their contracts that allow them to go back into free agency if not added to the major league roster by a certain date.
