MIAMI -- Marlins lefty Wei-Yin Chen remains on course to make his scheduled start on Monday against the Mets at Citi Field, but that could be subject to change depending on how his throwing arm feels.
Chen received a scare in the second inning of Tuesday's 8-7, 11-inning Opening Day loss to the Tigers at Marlins Park when he was struck on his left elbow by a comeback liner off the bat of Anthony Gose.
After being tended to by assistant trainer Mike Kozak, Chen threw two warmup pitches and remained in the game. He ended up working five innings, giving up five runs.
On Wednesday, Chen said he's dealing with "normal soreness" for the day after he throws. More will be known on his status for New York after he plays catch on Thursday when the team travels to Washington.
Manager Don Mattingly remains optimistic Chen will be able to stay on schedule.
"I didn't hear anything medically with him," Mattingly said. "I've seen him in the weight room, moving around. It sounds like we kind of survived that. Obviously, the next day or so, anything can happen. It can get sore or get swelling or whatever. But usually they are pretty good staying on top of that. So right now, we feel like we've dodged a little bit of a bullet."
According to Statcast™, Chen was smacked on his elbow by a 104-mph line drive. Chen was fortunate, because the direct shot hit muscle instead of bone.
When Chen returned for the third inning, he was wearing a black compression sleeve on his throwing arm, and to be in uniform compliance, he also had to put a black sleeve on his right arm. Pitchers must have both sleeves at a similar length.
The Tigers did their major damage in the second inning after Chen was plunked. The lefty's velocity dipped from 91 mph to 89 mph on his next pitch, which was slapped into center field for a single by Detroit pitcher Justin Verlander. Three pitches later, Ian Kinsler crushed a three-run homer, opening up a 4-0 lead.
Chen was back at 91 mph later in the game, and he allowed one run over his next three innings.
Unless Chen experiences any discomfort over the next couple of days, he is projected to face the Mets on Monday.
"We don't plan on changing anything at this time," Mattingly said.