Ekness could be part of a closing committee for the Marlins if Pete Fairbanks (hand) requires another IL stint, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports.
Fairbanks left Monday's game with a recurrence of a nerve issue in his pitching hand, a condition which first landed him on the IL in late April. Ekness, who worked the eighth inning Monday but got charged with a blown save after allowing the tying run in an eventual 4-2 loss to the Red Sox, figures to be in the mix for closing opportunities in Fairbanks' absence, along with Michael Petersen and Calvin Faucher. "I think we'll just go into each day with -- on the pitching side -- what we have available and kind of what we can ask of them, and where we think it's the best place to go put guys," manager Clayton McCullough said after Monday's game. "[The] good thing is that a number of our guys have experienced pitching in a lot of different spots. So I think we'll just lean on that and go out there with the ones that we have available each day." Through his first 15 appearances and 16 big-league innings this season, Ekness has a 1.69 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 11:7 K:BB with one win, one save and one hold.
... See More... See Less
Marlins' Josh Ekness: Activated from injured list
Rotowire
The Marlins activated Ekness (calf) from the 60-day injured list Tuesday, Kevin Barral of FishonFirst.com reports.
Ekness has been shelved since mid-May with a right calf strain, but he looked ready to roll in six rehab appearances, allowing just one run with a 12:0 K:BB in 8.1 innings. The 24-year-old was thrown right into high-leverage situations with the Marlins back in May, and he should return to a setup role.
... See More... See Less
Marlins' Josh Ekness: Ready for rehab assignment
Rotowire
Ekness (calf) will begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Jacksonville on Thursday, Kevin Barral of FishonFirst.com reports.
Ekness has been on the shelf since June 1 due to a right calf injury, which was severe enough for him to shift to the 60-day injured list three weeks later. He's progressed enough in his recovery to start a rehab assignment, and given the length of his IL stint, he'll likely need at least a few minor-league games under his belt before he's cleared to return to the Marlins.
Marlins manager Clayton McCullough said Monday that Ekness is expected to miss approximately six weeks due to a right calf strain, Kyle Sielaff of Marlins.tv reports.
After Ekness was spotted moving around in the Miami clubhouse with the aid of crutches following Sunday's loss to the Mets, the Marlins placed him on the 15-day injured list a day later. Ekness was recalled from Triple-A Jacksonville on Friday but didn't make any relief appearances during his second stint of the season with the big club. Given the estimated six-week recovery timeline, Ekness will remain on the shelf through the All-Star break.
... See More... See Less
Marlins' Josh Ekness: Earns first career save Sunday
Rotowire
Ekness retired the only batter he faced to earn a one-out save in Sunday's 5-2 win over the Nationals.
The Marlins have been playing matchups in the ninth inning during Pete Fairbanks' (hand) absence, and Sunday was Ekness' turn. He entered to face righty Curtis Mead with two outs and a runner on first base and earned his first career save on just three pitches. The 24-year-old made his major-league debut May 3, and he's now held opponents scoreless in three of four appearances while posting a 2:1 K:BB across 3.1 innings with Miami.
