MIAMI -- Marlins third baseman Brian Anderson remains in a holding pattern as he waits to see what the next course of action will be for his left shoulder. Due to Labor Day weekend, Anderson and the Marlins are waiting on different doctors' opinions. He previously spent time this season on the 60-day injured list for left shoulder subluxation. One of the options includes surgery.

"I think that would be about the entire offseason, it would be right around the time of Spring Training, so that's why we want to get those opinions soon, so we know which direction to go, so that I can have a full next season," Anderson said.

Anderson has been sidelined since Aug. 31, when he dove for a Dominic Smith single in the resumption of the April 11 game. Anderson noted that he had been cautioned about diving prior to aggravating the shoulder, but given the circumstances of the play -- the final inning with Miami holding onto a slim lead -- the 2020 NL Gold Glove Award finalist’s instincts took over.

The 28-year-old said he continues to keep his body going, working the right side of his upper body, core and legs. Anderson was seen running in the outfield before Thursday's batting practice.

It has been a tough 2021 for Anderson. Aside from the two IL stints for the shoulder, he also missed time with a left oblique strain. Anderson has slashed .249/.337/.378 with a .715 OPS in just 67 games, with his second year of arbitration eligibility coming this winter. Prior to the season, he was considered a strong candidate for an extension offer.

"I think that's something you'd have to ask them," Anderson said, referring to a potential extension with the Marlins. "I don't have a lot of conversations with them on that front. Obviously this would be a tough year for them to see me firsthand, when I would play probably 50-60 games. I think that would be a tough one for me to answer right now. But I think they want the same thing as me: They want me to be healthy and ready to play baseball for them. And that's my job right now is to get healthy."

All he does it hit
Since his Major League debut on July 30, outfielder Bryan De La Cruz ranks fourth in MLB with a .342 average. He has 11 multihit games through his first 34 contests with at least one plate appearance.

The 24-year-old is confident in his abilities, but even he is a bit surprised by how things have played out. De La Cruz went on to joke that perhaps he will one day fuse into a combination of “Dragon Ball” characters Goku and Vegeta in regards to his potential.

"He seems to have a pretty good feel for who he is and what he does up there," manager Don Mattingly said. "He's not a huge chase guy. He's pretty simple as far as what he tries to do. He has been able to use the whole field. We've seen him hit balls in the right-field corner, we've seen him hit homers to left, we've seen last night he drives the ball to center. So he's a guy that does use the whole field. But as much as anything, it looks like he's got a pretty good idea of what he wants to do at the plate. ... He seems to play older than a young player."

Acquired in the Yimi García trade with the Astros, De La Cruz recorded his first walk-off hit and RBI in Wednesday night's 2-1 victory in 10 innings.

"Today is actually a very, very sad day for me," De La Cruz said via an interpreter following the game. "Eighth of September, a date like today, my mother passed away [8 years ago]. Today, it was something very emotional. I was praying, I was asking God to take the at-bat for me and help me out, so it was very, very exciting just to have success there, dedicate this to my mom."