Miami Marlins ace right-hander Sandy Alcantara said Saturday that he won’t pitch again this season due to his sprained right ulnar collateral ligament.
The 2022 National League Cy Young Award winner injured his throwing arm during an eight-inning start against the Washington Nationals on Sept. 3. He threw four innings in a rehab assignment for Triple-A Jacksonville on Thursday but had to pull himself after experiencing forearm tightness.
“Very frustrating for me,” Alcantara said before Saturday’s home game against the Milwaukee Brewers. “A guy like me who always likes to compete. I feel sorry for all the fans, my family, my son, my friends, for the city — because I’m not going to be out there this year. Hopefully, I’ve got to be ready for next year. I don’t know, so I’ve just got to be positive.”
Next season is currently up in the air. If Alcantara undergoes reconstructive surgery, he would miss the 2024 season based on the typical 12-to-16-month recovery period.
Alcantara said that he and his agent, Adriel Reyes, would meet with Marlins general manager Kim Ng and manager Skip Schumaker to discuss the options.
“If we have to decide on surgery or not, I don’t know,” Alcantara said. “I can’t say yes, I can’t say no, so I’ve just got to keep positive and just talk then and see what they say.”
Schumaker admitted to feeling uneasy about recent medical reports on Alcantara.
“You hear ‘forearm tightness,’ you’re concerned — but especially Sandy,” Schumaker said. “Who he is, what he means to us, this part of the year, of course you’re concerned. You never want to hear those words.”
Alcantara said his arm was feeling good in bullpen sessions prior to the appearance in Jacksonville.
Alcantara, 28, went just 7-12 with a 4.14 ERA in 28 starts this season. It represents a sharp drop from his stellar 2022 season in which he went 14-9 with a 2.28 ERA across 32 starts last season to become Miami’s first Cy Young winner.
Alcantara is 41-55 with a 3.32 ERA in 146 career appearances (138 starts) with the St. Louis Cardinals (2017) and Marlins (2018-23).
Miami entered Saturday’s play with a 79-75 record and was 1 1/2 games behind the Chicago Cubs for the NL’s third and final wild-card spot.
–Field Level Media