Ryan Weathers (forearm strain) to begin season on injured list

Exactly a week before the Marlins take the field on Opening Day, the team received gut-wrenching news on the injury front. Left-handed pitcher Ryan Weathers will be sidelined for approximately 4-6 weeks due to a left forearm strain, the team announced. Weathers will join Edward Cabrera as the second starting pitcher to begin the season on the injured list.

Last season, Weathers was limited to only 16 starts as he suffered a left index finger strain which placed him on the 60-Day IL. This offseason, Weathers went on a carnivore diet and that led to him losing 20 pounds, which allowed him to get better extension off the mound.

Through four starts this spring, Weathers' fastball velocity was averaging 97.3 mph, topping out at 99.3 mph. In 2024, Weathers fastball averaged 95.9 mph, which is a major velocity bump compared to where he originally was. Going into the season, Weathers was projected as the number two starter in the rotation.

At the moment, the Marlins rotation is projected to be led by Sandy Alcantara, followed by Max Meyer, Cal Quantrill, and Connor Gillispie. The fifth starter is anyone's guess as candidate Janson Junk, who started for the Marlins on Thursday, exited the game early with due to back spasms.

Other options that manager Clayton McCullough mentioned on Thursday included Valente Bellozo, who made 13 starts in 2024 and Adam Mazur, who was one of four players acquired from the San Diego Padres in the Tanner Scott/Bryan Hoeing trade. Mazur, 23, already made his Major League debut in 2024. Mazur appeared in three spring training games and only allowed a run in five innings pitched.

Bellozo and Mazur were sent down to Triple-A Jacksonville earlier this month, but they can still be recalled before Opening Day.