'We are full-go': Luzardo feeling fully healthy as recovery progresses

MIAMI -- Good news for all: Marlins left-hander Jesús Luzardo is fully healthy and throwing.

"[I've] been able to go through my normal offseason progression: throwing, running, starting to get off the mound," Luzardo said Tuesday morning from the Miami Marlins Foundation's Holiday Wishes community event at loanDepot park. "Feeling really good [with my] elbow, back, whole body, and just really gearing up for Spring Training and eyeing down that Opening Day to be 100% full-go, which for now, everything feels really good, and we are full-go."

After Luzardo capped a career year in 2023 by starting Game 1 of the National League Wild Card Series for his hometown club, the injury bug limited him to just 12 starts in '24. He missed two weeks in late April/early May with left elbow tightness, then got scratched from his June 22 start due to a season-ending lumbar stress reaction.

In September, Luzardo had progressed to bike work, rotational activities and running. By the last week of the season, he had started playing catch.

"From that point on, it was just a slow progression," said Luzardo, who was reinstated from the 60-day injured list and added back to the 40-man roster in early November. "Didn't want to shock my body into doing too much, too fast. We worked into a progression as to where now I quickly got into doing a normal routine of things, and now my body feels like nothing ever happened."

Luzardo’s training comes with the added noise of being the subject of trade rumors for the second consecutive offseason. With two years of club control remaining, he is projected to make around $6.5 million in arbitration, according to Cot's Baseball Contracts. The upcoming campaign will be Luzardo’s age-27 season.

"Definitely get an influx of texts and calls from people," said Luzardo, who isn’t on social media. "There's nothing I can really do. I can't control whatever happens. So at the end of the day, my job is just to be ready for Spring Training and then Opening Day, and that's what I plan on doing. Feeling really good, like I said. Whatever happens, happens, and like I said, it's out of my control. But just for now, keep my head down, keep working, trying to stay focused on what I can control."