MIAMI -- A couple months ago, Marlins left-hander Jesús Luzardo didn’t know what the rest of the year had in store for him health-wise. On Monday night, he made his long-awaited return from the injured list, tossing five solid innings in a 3-1 loss to the Reds at loanDepot park.

When the Marlins placed Luzardo on the IL with a left forearm strain on May 15 (retroactive to May 12), they thought it would be a short stint. In fact, due to off-days on the schedule, there was even belief he would miss just one turn through the rotation. Instead, Luzardo wound up on the 60-day IL. 

“I would say the first week was extremely frustrating, and then after that, I kind of stopped feeling sorry for myself,” said Luzardo, who commuted from his home in Parkland, Fla., to the Marlins’ complex in Jupiter, Fla., for rehab. “We just took the plan and ran with it and kind of just kept taking a step at a time, and thankfully we are where we are now.”

In the series opener vs. the Reds, Luzardo looked sharp from the get-go, recording five of his first eight outs via strikeouts. After a perfect first inning, he encountered some trouble in the second. Joey Votto singled through the shift and Donovan Solano hit a bloop single. Then, with two outs, the southpaw left a full-count 96.7 mph fastball over the plate to Miami native Albert Almora Jr. for a two-run double -- Luzardo's lone blemish.

The Marlins are being careful with Luzardo early on in his return, so he was done after 81 pitches. In his third and final rehab start, Luzardo built up to 75. Manager Don Mattingly noted pregame that reports from Luzardo’s three-start rehab assignment mentioned the lefty being on top of his delivery and looking consistent. That carried over into Monday, as he didn’t walk a batter for the first time since his 2021 finale on Oct. 2.

“I think my stuff came back as good as it was before,” Luzardo said. “I think the changeup's a big piece for me now more than it probably was before. But in terms of the slider, fastball, changeup -- being able to fill up the zone, just attacking guys -- I felt comfortable with all of them.”

Prior to the injury, Luzardo had posted a 4.03 ERA, a 3.74 FIP and a 1.17 WHIP in six starts. His season totals were skewed by his last outing against the D-backs on May 10, when he gave up four runs on two hits and four walks over 2 2/3 innings. At the time, Luzardo ranked in the 93rd percentile in average fastball velocity (96.9 mph), 92nd percentile in K% (34.5) and 90th percentile in whiff% (34.4). 

“I try not to really focus on [that] anymore, now that I know I'm healthy,” Luzardo said of his average velo, which was down by less than 1 mph. “I don't know where it was at today, but I felt like I was getting on guys at times and sneaking up on them, so I was glad to see that.”

Luzardo's caliber of arm is welcome. Since he went on the IL, the Marlins have had seven starters outside of the Opening Day rotation of Luzardo, Sandy Alcantara, Pablo López, Trevor Rogers and Elieser Hernandez.

General manager Kim Ng previously said the addition of Luzardo -- acquired from the A's in the Starling Marte trade prior to last year's July 31 Trade Deadline -- provided flexibility for the organization. Luzardo is under club control through the 2026 season.

“I think just another solid guy in your rotation,” Mattingly said. “We've been seeing different guys with Max [Meyer] going down and then [Daniel] Castano coming in and him getting hit early. We've been kind of in a little bit of a tailspin with pitching. But to get Jesús back allows us to be able to do different things, and just another solid guy back in the rotation.”

And unlike the last time he stepped off a big league mound and knew something was off, Luzardo is confident he will toe the rubber his next turn through the rotation.

“Just being able to say that and come off the mound and feeling healthy,” Luzardo said, “just being able to say that and do that and take the mound every five days, I think that's special.”