Chirinos makes latest entry in rotation sweepstakes

JUPITER, Fla. -- Auditions are in full force to round out the Marlins’ Opening Day rotation because of injuries to left-hander Braxton Garrett (general shoulder soreness) and right-handers Edward Cabrera (shoulder impingement) and Eury Pérez (elbow soreness).

First up was non-roster right-hander Yonny Chirinos, who gave up six runs -- all in the second -- over 3 2/3 innings in Tuesday afternoon’s 11-10 Grapefruit League loss to the Cardinals at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium. He did so while facing most of St. Louis’ projected Opening Day lineup.

Though Chirinos was a ground-ball pitcher last season (his 46.3% ground-ball rate ranked in the 71st percentile), he induced three flyouts in a scoreless first. He then encountered trouble in the second, allowing three hits and three walks before being lifted with two outs. When Chirinos returned to the mound, he bounced back with scoreless third and fourth innings.

“During the game, I'm a pitcher of contact, so my sinker is a pitch that moves, and today with the wind, I don't know,” Chirinos said via interpreter Luis Dorante Jr. “It was not landing exactly where I normally go for strikes. So I was pretty much battling with that situation.”

The 30-year-old Chirinos compiled a 4.03 career ERA in 69 games (38 starts) from 2018-23, nearly all with Tampa Bay, so he’s no stranger to new president of baseball operations Peter Bendix. Chirinos finished last season sidelined with right elbow inflammation while on Atlanta’s 40-man roster.

Chirinos, who primarily throws a sinker and splitter, has incorporated a new sweeper into the mix. He maxed out at 93.8 mph during his 68-pitch outing.

“I want to show that I'm healthy,” Chirinos said. “That's the most important part, that I'm healthy. I'm ready to compete and help out the team win some games. My mentality throughout the camp has been to continue working on my strength, which is putting the ball in play. And, well, today, I didn't succeed with that objective. But it's a continued process to keep working on that.

“There's no pressure, because once you add that pressure to you, things won't come out the way you want it. Like I said, my objective here has been showing the team that I'm a pitcher that puts the balls in play, gets outs. And working on my strength. It will be up to the coaches and front office to make the decision if I'm going to make the team or not.”

Miami’s 40-man roster is full at the moment, so the club would need to make a corresponding move to clear space.

Other starting options include swingman Bryan Hoeing, Marlins’ No. 3 prospect Max Meyer and righty Darren McCaughan. The latter two were optioned to Triple-A Jacksonville earlier this spring. The Marlins could also fill a rotation slot with a bullpen game, but that would be risky early in the season when starters don’t provide as much length.

Ideally, this issue won’t last very long. Last week, manager Skip Schumaker said he didn’t anticipate Garrett missing too much time as he continues to progress in his throwing program. Cabrera has been playing catch, and the club is awaiting news on the severity of Pérez’s elbow soreness after he visited with Dr. Keith Meister in Texas.

“He's been around a long time, knows how to pitch,” Schumaker said of Chirinos before Tuesday’s outing. “I think really getting our eyes on him -- not only potentially this roster or depth piece -- just to figure out exactly where we're at with him. He's had some nice years and still has a lot left in the tank. So I think there's a chance that we're going to really use him this year. Not sure when. But definitely a starter for me, or a multi-inning guy in the ‘pen.”