Marlins placing Jake Burger on IL, recalling Otto López

[Kevin Barral]

While Burger is sidelined with a left oblique injury, red-hot Otto López gets a chance to fill the offensive void.

Prior to Monday's game, the Miami Marlins will place infielder Jake Burger on the 10-day IL due to the left oblique injury that he suffered during Sunday's loss to the Atlanta Braves. With Burger going on the IL, infielder Otto López is being recalled from Triple-A Jacksonville, per Christina De Nicola of MLB.com.

Through 16 games this season, Burger is slashing .228/.281/.421/.702 with three home runs and 15 RBIs. Defensively, Burger has been splitting time between third base (against right-handed starters) and first base (against lefties). He had played in every Marlins game so far, but felt discomfort in the first inning on Sunday while running down the first base line.

Last season with the Chicago White Sox, Burger suffered the same injury and missed the minimum 10 days. As of Monday morning, it's unclear how the severity of this injury compares to that one. It's unfortunate timing regardless because the Marlins are scheduled to play games on 10 straight days before their next off day and the offense has struggled even with Burger in the lineup.

While Burger is sidelined, expect Emmanuel Rivera to see an increase in playing time at both infield corners.

On April 4, the Marlins claimed 25-year-old Otto López via waivers from the San Francisco Giants. Through seven games with the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp, Lopez raked, slashing .556/.600/.926/1.526 with two home runs, five RBIs and a 289 wRC+. López last appeared at the Major League level in 2022 with the Toronto Blue Jays. He was designated for assignment by the Blue Jays this past offseason.

During his pro career, López has seen action at second base, shortstop, third base and all three outfield spots (mainly shortstop while in Jacksonville). He is sort of like a right-handed-hitting version of Vidal Bruján, who also suffered an injury scare on Sunday. He is considered day-to-day with a right knee issue.

López is set to make his Marlins debut against the team that let him go. Game one of the three-game set against the Giants is at 6:40 p.m. with Edward Cabrera on the mound for the first time this season.

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