NEW YORK - The Marlins got rookie outfielder Owen Caissie back on Saturday, reinstating him from the 10-day injured list before their game against the Mets at Citi Field and sending infielder Graham Pauley down in the corresponding move.
Caissie had been out since July 9 with a right calf strain, but his return comes after a three-game rehab assignment with Triple-A Jacksonville that was built to test both the leg and his timing at the plate. He finished that stretch Friday night as the designated hitter, going without a hit but drawing two walks and striking out three times.
The rehab work started with a bang. Caissie homered in each of his first two games, including a Tuesday outing in which he went 1-for-1 with a hit-by-pitch on an 83.4 mph changeup, two walks and a homer while starting at DH.
After Wednesday’s rainout, he played right field in Game 1 of Thursday’s doubleheader and went 2-for-3 with a first-inning single, a fourth-inning walk and a seventh-inning homer. Both of those home runs went to the opposite field.
Manager McCullough said the club wanted to see more than just swings.
"He's felt great," McCullough said. "It was a couple things.
One, certainly how did the calf hold up getting some extended exposures, both running, playing defense? And then the other part, just giving him some plate appearances.
While he was able to get some of those in live settings, but to be in a game and try to get some of his timing back before he rejoined, we felt was important. So [we] kind of extended that rehab to three games to try to satisfy both of those.
He checked all the boxes, and [we're] excited [for him] to get back here with us."
Caissie, 24, first felt tightness in the calf on July 7. He was cleared on July 8, but he left that game and later ended up on the injured list.
The Marlins picked him up in a four-player trade with the Cubs for right-hander Edward Cabrera, and he’s been one of their more productive bats when healthy. He entered Saturday with a .239/.297/.459 line, 12 homers, and 50 RBIs, with the home run total ranking fourth on the club and the RBI mark tied for second. Before the injury, he had an .861 OPS since May 1.
While Caissie was sidelined, Heriberto Hernández and Griffin Conine handled the corner-outfield spots regularly. Hernández is tied with Kyle Stowers for the team lead with 16 homers, and Conine delivered two game-winning hits in the Phillies sweep earlier this week. Against left-handed pitching, the Marlins have also turned to Gold Glove-winning utility man Javier Sanoja in right field, including Saturday.
McCullough said Caissie’s recent stretch gave the team confidence that his game was trending the right way.
"Since late May, early June, Owen has really, really put together a good run," McCullough said. "He's done kind of what we thought coming into this year.
He's provided power. There's going to be some strikeouts, which I think he curtailed some compared to the early part of the year. ...
Look, there's going to be some whiff that comes with his game, but we also were betting on his ability to impact and walk, and I think we saw those things start to come together for him.
"Especially versus right-handed pitching, he really provided a difference in our lineup. When we get Owen back, hopefully he can kind of pick up where he left off and be able to provide us again another presence from that side that has some slug and can control the zone."
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