The Miami Marlins witnessed a big moment when Jose Fernandez used all his pitches in a bullpen session Monday.

Fernandez is still not expected back until mid-June at the earliest, but this was a humongous step forward in the recovery process. Prior to this session, Fernandez had only thrown fastballs to avoid taxing his arm.

Playing it safe at this early stage, Fernandez only threw 25 pitches. That number should increase as the weeks go by barring setbacks. Now that Fernandez has thrown his off-speed pitches, he can focus more on an increased workload. Miami will undoubtedly be cautious with the prized right-hander and will not have him enter game action anytime soon.

Once Fernandez has reached a higher amount of pitches in bullpen sessions, he could begin throwing some live batting practice. Facing live hitters would allow Fernandez to better get into a game mindset. Following this, the Marlins could use Fernandez in simulated games before sending him out a minor-league rehab assignment.

As long as Fernandez stays on the current track and remains healthy, he should see some minor-league appearances beginning in late May or early June. It may take several starts before the Marlins feel comfortable enough in promoting the 22-year old to the majors.

Until Fernandez returns to Miami, there will be a hole to fill in the starting rotation. It appears that Tom Koehler will hold down that fifth spot in the meantime. When Fernandez does return, the Marlins will be faced with a decision at that point.

Miami annihilated the New York Mets 13-2 in Port St. Lucie on Monday. Thus far, the Marlins are 3-2 in the Grapefruit League.