Notes: Sixto's debut set; Campbell in camp
JUPITER, Fla. -- MLB Pipeline's No. 15 overall prospect, Sixto Sánchez, will make his Grapefruit League debut on Monday, when the Marlins visit the Astros at The Ballpark of the Palm Beaches, according to manager Don Mattingly. First pitch is scheduled for 1:05 p.m. ET, and the game can be streamed live on a Marlins video webcast and on MLB.TV.
Sánchez will follow the same progression as his counterparts by starting at two innings and ramping up from there. This spring, he was delayed getting to camp from the Dominican Republic because of visa issues, then had a false positive COVID-19 test that set him back a couple of days waiting for results. Last Saturday, the right-hander returned to camp before throwing a bullpen session Sunday and a 26-pitch live batting practice on Thursday.
Earlier this week, pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre Jr. said the 22-year-old Sánchez will have an inning cap this season. He made seven regular-season starts, then another two in the postseason, as a rookie in 2020 for a combined 47 frames.
Each club in the east coast pod of Florida Spring Training plays four days in a row before an off-day. With Sunday off, the Marlins wanted to give an extra day of rest to their starters and stop them from facing the same team each time on the mound. Sánchez will slot into the same five-day program, which means his second outing could come Saturday night against the Nationals in West Palm Beach, Fla.
"As long as everything's going good," Mattingly said during a Zoom call. "It would be the same for all these guys, as long as they stay on track."
Opening Day is scheduled for April 1, which gives Sánchez just under three weeks to build up his pitches. His rotation mates Sandy Alcantara, Pablo López and Elieser Hernandez have made three spring starts, while Trevor Rogers is slated for his third on Tuesday.
Latest on Campbell
Rule 5 Draft selection Paul Campbell, who was away from camp dealing with a personal issue, threw an inning on Friday, per Mattingly. He likely will need a couple of days to recover before returning to the mound.
"He looked pretty good," Mattingly said. "He had a good breaking ball yesterday for a guy who missed a little bit of time. He looked pretty sharp."
Ranked as Miami's No. 25 prospect, the 25-year-old Campbell would need to make the Opening Day 26-man roster or be offered back to his original team, the Rays. There also is the option of placing the right-hander on the Major League injured list, but he must be active for a minimum of 90 days during the 2021 season. The way things stand, his best avenue to join the club is as a long reliever. In the Minors, Campbell appeared in 49 games (33 starts) with a 3.12 ERA.
Prospect watch
• MLB Pipeline's No. 20 overall prospect JJ Bleday stretched a single into a double in the ninth inning of Saturday's 6-4 loss to the Cardinals, when a blooper got away from the right fielder.
• Lewin Díaz (Miami’s No. 9 prospect) worked a walk against lefty Zack Thompson (St. Louis’ No. 5 prospect) in the eighth.
• Joe Dunand's two-run single in the eighth had a game-high exit velocity of 108.7 mph.