Rogers shuts down Astros' starters in 1st spring start

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- Not that Marlins left-hander Trevor Rogers needed any extra adrenaline in his Grapefruit League debut after an injury-affected 2023 season, but facing most of the Astros’ projected Opening Day lineup certainly helped.

Rogers tossed two scoreless innings as the Marlins shut out the Astros, 2-0, on Tuesday afternoon at CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches.

“It felt really good,” Rogers said. “It was pretty much only two objectives today: fill up the zone and really have my body feel good. I accomplished both of those today, and I'm just really happy to get out there and compete again.”

During a 23-pitch (18-strike) outing, Rogers broke Jose Altuve’s bat and struck out Yordan Alvarez looking on a 95 mph four-seamer. Center fielder Nick Gordon robbed Kyle Tucker of extra bases to open the second before Rogers worked around a one-out José Abreu double thanks to a 3-6 lineout double play.

“I'm going to have to look at the TrackMan data when I get back, but what I saw was real,” manager Skip Schumaker said. “It looked like he had good extension, 95-96 [mph], faced a real lineup, which is good, [with] righties, lefties. I thought the sliders to Alvarez were excellent. He landed them for strikes, and then he expanded.

“There's a lot of positives today overall with Trevor, and you could see him coming off the mound happy, smiling. It's a big relief. You don't know until you're out there. You can do as many bullpens as possible until that first live [batting practice]. And then obviously in a game situation, that's when you kind of figure out exactly if you're ready and healthy and fully ready to go. And he checked a lot of boxes today. He should be excited about that outing, just like our whole staff is.”

Tuesday was a long time coming for the 26-year-old Rogers, who made just four starts in 2023. He landed on the 15-day injured list with a left biceps strain on April 21, then sustained a setback prior to his final rehab outing on June 10. His new injury – a right lat strain -- needed months to heal naturally, thus ending his season prematurely.

Miami elected to ease in Rogers this spring because of the time he missed.

“They said, ‘We're going to take our time,’ and [that’s] something you kind of don't want to hear when you've been out since April,” Rogers said. “But we've got seven months ahead of us, so I've really got to look at the long-term picture and really be smart with my body and really learn from past mistakes. [I] don't want to make the same mistake that I've made in the past. Just to know that we're all on the same page and really taking this slow and steady, I’m really, really happy about that.”

One of the other Marlins battling for a rotation spot, southpaw Ryan Weathers, has built up to four innings. In his third spring appearance, Weathers allowed just one hit and one walk with four strikeouts.

Who’s backing up Jazz in center?
The Marlins would love nothing more than to see Jazz Chisholm Jr. play in 150-plus games this season. But the reality is the injury bug has bit him in the past, including in 2023 when the organization scrambled to find a midseason fill-in, so Miami must be prepared just in case.

According to Schumaker, backup options include Gordon, prospect Dane Myers and non-roster invitee Jonathan Davis. The latter two were up for the task last season; Gordon got his first look in center this spring. Schumaker preached the importance of being able to defend the position at spacious loanDepot park.

Gordon, who came up as a middle infielder just like Chisholm, has appeared in 92 games (66 starts) in center in the big leagues. On the play where he made a nice diving catch in the left-center gap, Gordon anticipated where Tucker might hit it because of previous experience and got a good jump.

“I don't think I can tell you the key to center field,” Gordon said. “I'm learning every day. Just really being athletic is a good tool to have, trusting yourself, trusting your abilities, and not really panicking. Panic will cause a lot of head movement and things like that, and then the outfield becomes tough.”

Up next
Opening Day starter Jésus Luzardo will make his third spring appearance when the Nationals visit Jupiter, Fla. First pitch is at 1:10 p.m. ET at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium.