The Miami Marlins are seeking outfield help to fill in for injured center fielder Emilio Bonifacio, reports Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. It was reported yesterday that Bonifacio is set to miss the next four-to-six weeks after undergoing thumb surgery, and the Marlins are apparently not content with their in-house outfield depth.
Before injuring his thumb, Bonifacio had been a solid leadoff hitter for the Marlins. On top of his .351 on base percentage, Bonifacio had the ability to turn singles into doubles with his base stealing prowess. Prior to hitting the disabled list, Bonifacio had only been caught once while racking up 20 stolen bases on the season, a mark that continues to lead the league.
Beyond his abilities on the base paths, Bonifacio had hit at a clip of .268/.351/.315 while manning center field for the Marlins.
In Bonifacio’s absence, the Marlins have turned to 26-year-old Bryan Peterson. Over his 13 games and 28 at-bats this season, Peterson has only managed on OPS of .508. While his career numbers are a tick better (.670 OPS), Rosenthal is reporting that the Marlins would like to improve their outfield depth with Bonifacio on the shelf.
Miami figures to have a hard time finding a viable replacement for Bonifacio, as the current market for outfielders is barren. The Red Sox dug deep to acquire Marlon Byrd but and later to settle for acquiring Scott Podsednik with their onslaught of injuries. Chone Figgins was rumored to be on the chopping block in Seattle, but there haven’t been any rumors tying the veteran to the Marlins.
For more on the Marlins be sure to check out Marlin Maniac.