Marlins notes: No more moves, O'Brien in RF

JUPITER, Fla. -- With the signing of Sergio Romo, the Marlins now have 68 players in camp. The way things look, that appears to be the limit for the organization.
"I think we're very comfortable with the numbers and the people we have in camp," Marlins president of baseball operations Michael Hill said on Friday. "Romo makes 68 that we have in camp now.
"I think we like the makeup of our club -- the outfield makeup, the infield makeup, the catching makeup. The starting- and relief-pitching makeup."
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Even though there are many veteran free agents still on the market, including outfielder Carlos González, the Marlins appear to be done shopping.
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Of course, that could change over the course of camp due to injuries or positions in question. Hill acknowledged as much.
"We're always looking to be opportunistic, so we never stop watching the market," Hill said. "We never stop talking to our peers to see if there are opportunities for us to improve or upgrade. In terms of our current group of players, we're extremely happy."
The organization is using Spring Training to see how players who project to be part of its future are performing. The hesitation on a free agent like Gonzalez is, if he addresses right field, then other players already in camp may not get an opportunity.
Corresponding move
To create space on the 40-man roster for Romo, the Marlins placed right-hander Julian Fernández on the 60-day injured list. The move wasn't unexpected due to the fact Fernandez underwent Tommy John surgery last April and wasn't going to be ready for Opening Day.
Miami claimed Rule 5 Draft selection Fernandez off waivers from the Giants in November, with the understanding that he may not be on the mound until May or June, at the earliest.
"We were able to review his medicals and see where he was at within the Tommy John protocol," Hill said. "He's on schedule. He looks great. Big and strong. Feels great, is on track with the progression. Obviously, with any type of surgery, you never know until they're back on the mound and get into stressful situations. But he's on schedule, and given when he had the surgery, 60 days won't impact his return-to-play program."
O'Brien in right field
Peter O'Brien impressed as a September callup in 2018, playing mostly first base while belting four home runs with 10 RBIs in 66 at-bats.
Speculation has been that O'Brien will compete for the starting first-base job. The plan is actually to give him a shot in right field.
Because of his power potential, the Marlins are trying to find the best fit for O'Brien. And with Brian Anderson moving to third base, that frees up right field.

The front-runners at first base are the left-handed-hitting Neil Walker sharing time with the right-handed-hitting Martín Prado.
The Marlins already have stated that Anderson is their third baseman, even if Prado is healthy. So Prado will move around and play some first base and still be available, if needed, at third.
He said it
"I was part of a team last year in Tampa, they didn't expect us to win 90 games. It's a similar situation, a lot of young, promising talent. They're getting their opportunity. Here I am, just a little bit more south in the state of Florida." -- Romo, on going from the Rays to the Marlins

Up next
The Marlins are back on the field at the Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium complex around 9:30 a.m. ET on Saturday, with more pitchers and catchers workouts. Full-squad workouts begin at 1 p.m. ET on Monday. Workouts are open to the public.