Fortes (knee) will start at catcher and bat eighth in Saturday's Grapefruit League game against the Cardinals, Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald reports.
As expected, Fortes will return to action after missing a week with tendinitis in his right knee. The plan is for him to catch again Sunday as he looks to make up for lost time. The Marlins' projected backup catcher, Fortes is 4-for-16 in exhibition play this spring.
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Marlins' Nick Fortes: To catch Saturday, Sunday
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Fortes (knee) is slated to catch in Grapefruit League games Saturday and Sunday, Jordnn McPherson of the Miami Herald reports.
Fortes has been battling some right knee tendinitis, but he's well on track to be available as Jacob Stallings' backup for Opening Day. Fortes caught in a back-field game Friday in Marlins camp and said he felt good.
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Marlins' Nick Fortes: Could play Friday
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Marlins manager Skip Schumaker said he's hopeful that Fortes (knee) will be ready to return to the Grapefruit League lineup Friday versus the Astros, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports.
Fortes has been sidelined since March 17 with right knee tendinitis, but he already seems to have made significant progress in his recovery. He took batting practice and was involved in all defensive drills Tuesday, with Schumaker revealing that Fortes is feeling good a day later. The Marlins will check back in with Fortes following Thursday's off day, but if he continues to feel well, the 26-year-old will likely be back behind the dish Friday.
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Marlins' Nick Fortes: Takes batting practice
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Fortes (knee) took batting practice on a back field Tuesday at Marlins camp, Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald reports.
Fortes came out of a split-squad game last week due to tendinitis in his right knee, but it doesn't seem to be an overly serious issue. If healthy, he projects to open the 2023 regular season in a timeshare at catcher in Miami with Jacob Stallings.
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Marlins' Nick Fortes: Dealing with sore knee
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Fortes left Friday's split-squad game against the Cardinals after two innings due to tendinitis in his right knee, Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald reports.
Per manager Skip Schumaker, the Marlins will re-evaluate Fortes on Saturday, but at this point his removal from the game seems precautionary. If the catcher ends up requiring an IL stint to begin the regular season, Austin Allen could break camp on the 26-man roster as the backup to Jacob Stallings.
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Marlins' Nick Fortes: Part of timeshare behind plate
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Manager Skip Schumaker said Wednesday that Fortes will begin the season splitting catching duties with Jacob Stallings, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports.
It's not entirely clear how the workload will be divided, however. Stallings has the better defensive reputation -- something he bolstered in 2022 when he was behind the plate for every one of Sandy Alcantara's starts as the right-hander won the NL Cy Young Award -- but Fortes offers more upside at the plate, posting a .696 OPS to Stallings' .584 last season, Fortes has had a decent camp so far, and while he's still looking for his first extra-base hit of the spring, he's gone 4-for-16 with five walks against only one strikeout.
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Marlins' Nick Fortes: Two hits including homer in loss
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Fortes went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run and a double in Wednesday's loss to the Cubs.
Fortes crushed a two-run homer off Marcus Stroman in the bottom of the fifth inning, delivering the Marlins a 2-0 lead. He later added a double, producing his second straight multi-hit performance. The home run was the catcher's eighth of the season and first since Aug. 24. Fortes has notched at least one hit in seven out of his last nine games, batting .306 with a home run, four RBI and seven runs scored over that stretch.
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Marlins' Nick Fortes: Returns to bench
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Fortes is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Phillies, Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald reports.
Fortes started in each of the past three games at either catcher or designated hitter, going 2-for-9 with three walks and a run. Jacob Stallings is getting the nod behind the plate Wednesday, while Avisail Garcia handles DH duties.
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Marlins' Nick Fortes: Back on bench Monday
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Fortes is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Dodgers, Paige Leckie of MLB.com reports.
Fortes will take a seat after he started in three of the past four games -- twice at catcher and once at designated hitter -- while going 2-for-12 with a solo home run and a walk. Jacob Stallings is behind the plate Monday, while Garrett Cooper is serving as the Marlins' DH.
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Marlins' Nick Fortes: Slugs seventh homer
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Fortes went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in Wednesday's 3-2 extra-inning loss to the A's.
The 25-year-old continues to be a pleasant surprise for the Marlins in the power department after taking Dany Jimenez deep in the ninth inning to force extras, even if Miami couldn't capitalize on the reprieve. Fortes has seven homers and 18 RBI through 146 plate appearances in the majors this season, but his batting average has slipped with regular playing time -- he's hitting only .209 (9-for-43) in August.
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Marlins' Nick Fortes: Gets rest Sunday
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Fortes is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Dodgers, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports.
Fortes remains Miami's No. 2 catcher, but the Marlins have opened up a near-everyday role for him of late by giving him more work at designated hitter. He went 3-for-12 with a pair of solo home runs and walks while starting each of the past four games, but Fortes will take a seat Sunday with Jacob Stallings behind the plate and with Jesus Aguilar in the lineup at DH.
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Marlins' Nick Fortes: Two homers in win
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Fortes went 3-for-4 with two solo homers and three runs scored in a 4-3 win Tuesday over San Diego.
Fortes took Sean Manaea deep for solo homers in his first two plate appearances and singled and scored the winning run in the seventh. It was his first two-homer game in the majors. The big game may help snap a prolonged slump for the 25-year-old; he was 10-for-54 since July 13 entering Tuesday's contest.
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Marlins' Nick Fortes: Another steal Sunday
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Fortes went 1-for-4 with a stolen base in Sunday's loss to Atlanta.
The steal was his first since July 25 and his fifth of the season in only 123 plate appearances -- a surprising performance on the basepaths considering Fortes has only seven career stolen bases in the minors. The 25-year-old backstop is pushing for more playing time, batting .318 (7-for-22) since the All-Star break with a double, a homer, five runs and six RBI.
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Marlins' Nick Fortes: Blasts fourth homer
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Fortes went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in Wednesday's 5-3 loss to the Reds.
Fortes hasn't yet overtaken Jacob Stallings for the Marlins' No. 1 catching job, but his playing time looks like it'll be on the upswing coming out of the All-Star break while Garrett Cooper's (wrist) absence creates an opening at designated hitter. Lewin Diaz and Jesus Aguilar should share the DH spot and first base in most games, but Fortes should rank as the Marlins' preferred option at DH against left-handed pitching when he's not filling in behind the plate. Stallings, who received Wednesday off, will be back in at catcher for Thursday's series finale while Fortes rests, per Christina De Nicola of MLB.com.
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Marlins' Nick Fortes: Swipes fourth bag
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Fortes went 1-for-3 with a walk, a run scored and a stolen base in Monday's 11-2 loss to the Reds.
Getting the start at DH and batting second, Fortes managed to make a fantasy contribution. The 25-year-old backstop started seven of the last 11 games -- four at catcher and three at designated hitter -- but hasn't done much with the opportunity, batting .222 (6-for-27) with one double, three runs and five RBI. Fortes now has four steals on the season, a surprising number considering he never stole more than five bases in any minor-league season.
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Marlins' Nick Fortes: Stuck behind Stallings
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Fortes is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Rangers.
Fortes made three consecutive starts for the Marlins at one point last week, but he'll be on the bench for the third time in four games while Jacob Stallings gets the nod behind the dish. Though Fortes has been the far more productive hitter of the two backstops this season, Stallings' defensive acumen looks as though it'll be enough to make him Option 1A behind the plate for Miami as the team opens its second-half schedule.
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Marlins' Nick Fortes: Making third straight start
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Fortes will start at catcher and bat seventh in Thursday's game against the Pirates, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports.
Fortes is included in the lineup for the third game in a row and is getting his second turn behind the plate of the series after serving as a designated hitter in Wednesday's 5-4 win. The 25-year-old has produced an .866 OPS on the season, and the massive edge he holds in that category over the defensive-minded Jacob Stallings (.478) could be enough for Marlins manage Don Mattingly to consider deploying the two backstops in a timeshare, if not an arrangement that tilts more in Fortes' favor.
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Marlins' Nick Fortes: Angling for more playing time
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Fortes is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Mets, Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald reports.
Though he'll be taking a seat Sunday, Fortes started behind the plate in two of the past three contests and may be moving into a timeshare at catcher with Jacob Stallings. While Stallings is the superior defender, Fortes has been far more effective at the plate across his 64 plate appearances on the campaign. After going 2-for-4 with a stolen base in Saturday's 5-4 loss, Fortes' slash line now sits at .273/.375/.509 for the season.
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Marlins' Nick Fortes: Hits walkoff homer Sunday
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Fortes went 1-for-4 with a solo home run and a strikeout during Sunday's 3-2 win over the Mets.
Fortes failed to record a hit in his first three at-bats Sunday, but he hit a walkoff home run with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning. The 25-year-old has had sporadic playing time for the Marlins and has slashed .250/.341/.556 with three homers, two doubles, 14 runs, seven RBI and two stolen bases over 12 games since the start of June.
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Marlins' Nick Fortes: Swipes bag
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Fortes went 0-for-4 with a stolen base and a run scored in Saturday's 5-1 win over the Astros.
Fortes got aboard on an error and stole second in the second inning. Speed typically isn't a big component of a catcher's game -- this was Fortes' first steal in six contests this season, and he's never had more than six in a season in the minors. The 25-year-old has been limited to 24 plate appearances, but he's racked up seven hits, including two home runs, six RBI and 10 runs scored through six contests this season. Continued success at the plate could see Fortes begin to chip away at Jacob Stallings' playing time.
