The Miami Marlins have place left fielder Christian Yelich on the 15-day disabled list, which is retroactive on April 20th. Yelich has been placed on the disabled list because of a lower back strain.

The 23-year old has been dealing with back issues and Miami chose to give him time to rest and focus on only getting healthy. As for now, Ichiro Suzuki will become an everyday outfielder once again.

Suzuki, 41, is known for his speed and ability to make contact. He's a seasoned Major Leaguer and a former Nippon Professional Baseball legend over in Japan.

"I was thinking today about all the time in spring training I wasted talking about how I was going to get Ichiro in the game," Marlins manager Mike Redmond said. "I'll never get that time back."

Suzuki has hit .257/.325/.314 with nine hits in 35 at-bats. He is 147 hits away from the 3,000 mark. Suzuki, nicknamed the Wizard, has played 15 years in MLB. 12 of those seasons came with the Seattle Mariners, three seasons for the New York Yankees and is in his first with the Marlins.

The 5'11" left-handed hitter is signed through 2015 after he signed a deal in the offseason for $2 million over one year to be a primary pinch hitter.

Yelich has played in 11 games and has struck out 11 times. The outfielder sat out for two weeks because of a similar back injury last season. This season Yelich is batting .200/.265/.222 with zero home runs and four runs batted in. 

The 23rd overall pick in the 2010 MLB draft signed a seven year contract worth $49.57 million dollars in the offseason. It goes through the 2021 season with a 2022 team option. Sadly, the youngster hasn't proven himself this season.

"We'll get him checked out and see what's going on," Redmond said. "Hopefully it'll be just a short term thing."

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About the author
Evan Petzold
Evan Petzold is a Detroit-based journalist with expertise in covering the Tigers, Pistons, and Red Wings. A member of the Internet Baseball Writers Association of America (IBWAA) and Detroit Sports Broadcasters Association (DBSA), he brings a unique skill set in reporting and broadcasting to the table.