HOUSTON — Miami Marlins All-Star shortstop Otto Lopez returned to the lineup for the club’s game against the Astros at Daikin Park after missing two games with inflammation in his right ring finger, slotting back into his usual leadoff spot.
Lopez, 27, continues to lead the Majors with 130 hits and a .335 batting average entering play. He had started all but six of Miami’s 101 games this season before the brief absence.
“It’s great to have Otto back,” manager Clayton McCullough said. “He felt pretty good yesterday and anticipated he would turn around and feel better today, and he does. He woke up this morning and felt all right, so it’s great to have Otto back in the lineup. It’s hard to state how big of a factor he’s been for us this year on both sides of the ball. To get Otto back in the lineup today is a good thing. I’m glad he was only down for a few days.”
Lopez injured the finger Saturday while attempting to field a second-inning grounder with a 98.9 mph exit velocity off the bat of Joey Ortiz. The ball hopped up and caught Lopez on the nail area, leading to a fielding error. X-rays were negative. Lopez remained in the game but went hitless in his next three at-bats and committed another error.
McCullough said gripping the bat may cause Lopez more difficulty than fielding in the near term. “There’s still some of the range of motion in the finger and him adjusting to maybe holding it a little bit differently,” McCullough said. “He felt OK with the transfers yesterday, getting the ball out of his glove, and the throwing felt more normal yesterday, so I don’t really anticipate there to be any issue. It’s just going to be him, at least for the foreseeable future, managing and just being not how he normally feels.”
Lopez has been playing catch, fielding and swinging a bat to test the finger over the past two days. The Marlins continue their series in Houston through the week.