MIAMI -- Marlins second baseman Otto Lopez exited Friday night’s 6-1 loss to the Athletics at loanDepot park with right ankle discomfort and will undergo further evaluation.
According to manager Clayton 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.
Lopez has started all but two of Miami’s 31 games this season, batting .229/.294/.330 with five doubles and two homers. He had tallied multiple hits in consecutive contests on Monday and Tuesday. On defense, Lopez had recorded six outs above average -- tied for the most among all Major League infielders entering Friday.
Should Lopez miss time, he would 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 two games Lopez hasn’t, Graham Pauley and Ronny Simon.
“I think after he's able to get looked at a little bit further, we'll have a better idea of the extent of that and what it looks like over the next day or so,” McCullough said.