The Miami Marlins have placed first baseman Michael Morse on the 15-day disabled list, but they got much better news on starting pitcher Henderson Alvarez report MLB.com's John McGonigal and the Miami Herald's Clark Spencer,
Morse has a strained ligament in his right finger, which has made it difficult for him to grip and swing the bat because of the pain. McGonigal quoted Marlins manager Dan Jennings discussing the injury and the reason for the disablement. Said Jennings,
"He battled through it, but we felt that we needed to get him healthy so that in every swing, he wasn't feeling the pain in it. Hopefully that two-week window to get him back and healthy, he'll feel comfortable and confident in being able to swing the bat and not feel that in his hand."
Morse has returned to Miami to see a hand specialist.
Morse, known recently for his NLCS pinch-hit home run with the San Francisco Giants last October, last played on March 23, making the DL stint retroactive to May 24. He is hitting .211/.268/.289 with 2 HR and 10 RBI in 128 at bats in 37 games this season. He is a career .277 hitter.
Meanwhile, Alvarez underwent an MRI on his ailing right shoulder Tuesday morning, and the test revealed no structural damage. McGonigal says that Alvarez will work to rehab and strengthen his shoulder, but the flame-throwing right-hander is far from resuming any throwing.
Alvarez last pitched on May 22, lasting five innings but allowing four earned runs. He missed more than a month from April 12 to May 17 because of inflammation in his shoulder. In four starts, he is 0-4 with a 6.45 ERA and 1.57 WHIP in 22 1/3 innings. He is 27-34 with a 3.80 ERA in his career, which began with the Toronto Blue Jays in 2011.
NOTE: Jose Fernandez will throw 60 pitches in a simulated game Wednesday and throw another mound session next Monday as he recovers from April Tommy John surgery.