UPDATE: Things were looking pretty bleak after Bonifacio sprained his left thumb, but the Marlins received some good news this afternoon. According to Joe Capozzi of the Palm Beach Post, the sprain isn’t as severe as initially believed and Bonifacio could be back in about two or three weeks.
10:48 AM: The Marlins’ season just keeps getting worse, as Emilio Bonifacio left the second game of yesterday’s doubleheader against the Nationals after aggravating a left thumb injury while trying to make a diving play at second base in the ninth inning.
Bonifacio already missed nearly two months earlier this season following surgery to repair torn ligaments in the same thumb. According to Joe Frisaro of MLB.com, Bonifacio was diagnosed with a sprained thumb and was in tears after the game. Marlins manager Ozzie Guillen said he isn’t expecting him back this season.
Bonifacio has mostly played center field this year, but he recently took over the starting second base job after Omar Infante was traded to the Tigers. The 27-year-old speedster is hitting .261/.335/.321 with one home run, 11 RBI and a .655 OPS this season. He’s tied for second in the majors with 30 stolen bases, despite appearing in just 61 games.
Nick Green is expected to be called up from Triple-A New Orleans to replace Bonifacio on the active roster. The 33-year-old infielder is a .237 hitter in the majors, but he’s batting .344/.397/.599 with 12 homers and a .996 OPS in 63 games with the Zephyrs this season.
