The Miami Marlins were not joined by Giancarlo Stanton in Viera on Monday as the All-Star is battling a sore right knee.
Stanton was originally scheduled to be part of the traveling roster for the game against the Washington Nationals. Manager Don Mattingly has stated that he is simply being cautious with Stanton at this time. The fear for Miami however, is Stanton has an injury history with this specific knee.
In 2012, Stanton missed a significant portion of the season due to an operation to remove chips from his right knee. The outfielder has battled several injuries in his young career and has missed a good deal of playing time. The Marlins rely on Stanton's presence in the lineup daily, and any additional time he misses would be of great concern.
Stanton is entering the second year of a record 13-year contract with Miami. Last year, the slugger saw his season end in June after breaking a bone in his hand. At the time, Stanton was expected to only miss some time, but the healing process took longer than anticipated. With Miami out of contention, the team opted to shut Stanton down rather than risk further issues.
Soreness in the body is normal in spring training as players get reacclimated to the daily grind of playing Major League Baseball. It is certainly possible this is just one of those cases and Stanton will be back on the field in a matter of days. As long as the outfielder only misses a few days, it should have little impact on his ability to get into playing shape.
Thus far, Stanton is 1-3 in the Grapefruit League with a single. While the 26-year old is out of action, Miami will have a chance to take extended looks at outfielders vying for roster spots. The Marlins have given some playing time to Justin Maxwell thus far and he could be the main beneficiary of Stanton's injury.
Miami is 1-3-1 this spring and will have its ace Jose Fernandez on the mound on Monday for the game against the Nationals.
