MIAMI -- Marlins second baseman Otto Lopez was diagnosed with a Grade 2 right ankle sprain on Saturday afternoon. According to Harvard Health, the timeline for recovery typically ranges from 3-6 weeks since there is a partial tear of ligaments.
"I think right now, the exact time frame, I'm not sure on," manager Clayton McCullough said. "I think we'll have a little bit more clarity tonight and in the coming days with what that looks like. So we'll make a determination there with his status here in the coming days."
Lopez, who exited Friday night’s 6-1 loss to the Athletics at loanDepot park with right ankle discomfort, had undergone an MRI and wore a boot around the clubhouse pregame Saturday.
Per McCullough, Lopez didn’t sustain the injury on a play but rather twisted it coming off the field in the first inning. Javier Sanoja took over for Lopez in the top of the second.
“He had some ankle discomfort there for the first, and [it] swelled up a little bit on him, so just prudent to get him off his feet there and make that move,” McCullough said on Friday.
Including Friday, Lopez had started all but two of Miami’s 31 games this season, batting .229/.294/.330 with five doubles and two homers. On defense, Lopez had recorded six outs above average -- tied for the most among all Major League infielders entering Friday.
Lopez is likely to become the latest Marlins position player to land on the injured list. Outfielders Griffin Conine (out for the season after left shoulder surgery) and Derek Hill (left wrist sprain), as well as catchers Nick Fortes (left oblique strain; on rehab assignment with Triple-A Jacksonville) and Rob Brantly (right lat strain), are sidelined.
Options to fill in for Lopez include Sanoja, who has started the three games Lopez hasn’t this season, Graham Pauley and Ronny Simon. Sanoja doubled twice in Saturday's 9-6 walk-off win over the A's.