Marlins place Alfaro (concussion) on 7-day IL

Miami selects Castillo's contract; Dean optioned to Triple-A; Brigham recalled

June 22nd, 2019

PHILADELPHIA -- The Marlins placed catcher Jorge Alfaro on the seven-day injured list with a concussion prior to Friday's series opener against the Phillies at Citizens Bank Park.

The club selected the contract of catcher Wilkin Castillo from Triple-A New Orleans in a corresponding move. The Marlins also optioned outfielder Austin Dean to New Orleans and recalled right-hander Jeff Brigham, giving them an extra arm in the bullpen after playing back-to-back 11-inning games.

Miami also transferred catcher Chad Wallach (concussion) to the 60-day injured list. Wallach, who last played on May 21, was originally placed on the 10-day injured list on May 24. Though he continues to participate in baseball activities and hasn't had any further setbacks, he still hasn't been cleared for game action and would need to complete a rehab assignment before returning to the big league club anyway.

"The biggest part of that concussion protocol is that it’s not like we can say a day from now, he’s going to be ready to go out and start playing games," manager Don Mattingly said. "When we first did this, we thought seven days, he’s going to be ready to go -- and here we are 30-something days into it and he’s still having little effects. We feel like things are getting better, but they’re not where we want them to be yet."

As for Alfaro, he left Thursday's game in the ninth inning after he had been hit in the helmet by a backswing and also had a foul tip off his catcher's mask earlier in the game. Mattingly is hoping that Alfaro’s stint on the injured list will be a brief one, but it’s always hard to tell when it comes to concussions.

"Those are the two guys we started the season with," Mattingly said. "At this point, we’re hoping that Jorge’s going to be a short one, but again, we thought that with Wally, and you just don’t know."

Bryan Holaday, who replaced Alfaro on Thursday, went 1-for-3 with a home run in the Marlins' 2-1 win over the Phillies on Friday. It was his 11th appearance this season after playing in 61 games for the Marlins last season.

"Holly's a guy that was with us all year last year, and has a really good feel for our pitching staff," Mattingly said. "I totally feel good about him calling a game and catching our guys. And Wilkin is a guy who’s had experience with some of our guys in the Minor Leagues, so we’re comfortable with what he does back there."

There was some good news on the injury front, however, as the Marlins are confident that right fielder Garrett Cooper will be able to avoid a stint on the injured list. Cooper, who was removed from Thursday's game early after sitting out Wednesday with left triceps tightness, was not in Friday's lineup, but Mattingly said the 28-year-old was available off the bench.

"We feel like the reports on Garrett are good," Mattingly said prior to the game. "We feel like there’s a very good chance of having him in the lineup tomorrow."

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Paul Casella is a reporter/editor for MLB.com based in Philadelphia.