Cabrera (elbow) resumes throwing, hopeful to return this season

MIAMI -- Marlins right-hander Edward Cabrera resumed throwing on Monday, as manager Clayton McCullough expressed cautious optimism.

Cabrera, who landed on the 15-day injured list on Sept. 1 (retroactive to Aug. 31) with a right elbow sprain, is dealing with an arm issue for the second time this season.

After Cabrera exited his July 11 start against the Orioles, an MRI revealed posterior right elbow discomfort. He avoided the IL thanks to the All-Star break, which permitted his return in the fifth game of the second half.

Cabrera made his next seven starts without incident until experiencing tightness during his Aug. 30 outing in New York, where he gave up six runs (five earned) in four innings to the Mets. Since then, Cabrera had been on no-throw status while undergoing testing.

“There's still inflammation in the elbow, and he went out and got a second opinion and got it looked at,” McCullough said. “[Cabrera] as the athlete felt like, ‘You know what? I still want to go out and pitch and try to,’ so we're going to have him go through some days of throwing and see how that goes with progressing to get back on the mound, with the possibility that he is back off the mound in a game this year.

“But a lot of that is just going to be contingent on how he feels after he ramps up his throwing progression again.”

Asked whether this plan of action would test whether the elbow could hold up or whether an alternate path would need to be taken if it didn’t, McCullough elaborated.

“It's going to be somewhat just how he responds with the throwing, that him just taking time and not doing anything is not going to change what the long-term outlook of this is, and him throwing really isn't either,” McCullough said. “He wants to give it a go and wants to throw, and just see how his arm feels after he starts to ramp up the intensity. I think we're just going to have this very much be a day-to-day-type thing as the intensity increases and how 'Cabbie' feels with everything.”

Even though both pitchers and their injuries were different, it’s hard not to compare ace Sandy Alcantara’s situation from two years ago.

Alcantara was placed on the 15-day IL on Sept. 6, 2023, with a right forearm flexor strain before an MRI later revealed a UCL sprain. Ten days after that diagnosis, Alcantara attempted a comeback by throwing on flat ground and then tossing two pain-free bullpen sessions. He began a rehab assignment with Triple-A Jacksonville on Sept. 21, going four scoreless innings and maxing out at 98.3 mph, but he shut himself down after experiencing forearm tightness. Alcantara eventually underwent Tommy John surgery on Oct. 6, 2023.

At the time of the IL placement, it had been a breakout 2025 campaign for Cabrera, who has a 7-7 record with a 3.57 ERA in 24 starts. He already had set single-season career marks in several categories, including starts, innings (128 2/3) and strikeouts (140). His bWAR (2.5) paces Marlins pitchers.

Regardless of what eventually happens with Cabrera, Miami’s rotation is getting healthier. Right-hander Janson Junk (right ulnar nerve irritation) returned from the IL to start Monday’s 15-7 series-opening loss to the Nationals at loanDepot park, while southpaw Ryan Weathers (left lat strain) is scheduled to be reinstated from the IL and start Thursday’s series finale.

Junk allowed six runs on eight hits over 4 1/3 innings, striking out three batters and walking two. He surrendered a leadoff homer to Luis García Jr. in the second on a hanging slider and an RBI single to Dylan Crews in the fourth. Washington later chased Junk during a six-run fifth, which culminated on Crews’ three-run homer off righty Seth Martinez.