--UT Alfredo Amezaga will miss the start of the season because of a sprained left ankle. He suffered the injury March 8 while playing for Mexico in the World Baseball Classic. Manager Fredi Gonzalez said Amezaga was examined March 11 by team doctors who determined Amezaga would be out four to six weeks.
--OF Jay Gibbons was released March 13 as part of the Marlins' first round of cuts. Gibbons was batting .313 with a home run and seven RBIs in six games. "You don't want to keep a guy like that too long where he doesn't get an opportunity to get a job some place else. We thought in our situation right now, it was best for him to release him," manager Fredi Gonzalez said. --Two former first-round draft picks were reassigned to minor league camp: C Kyle Skipworth and 3B Matt Dominguez. RF Mike Stanton, C Miguel Fermin and RHP Mike Wood were also reassigned to minor league camp. OF Jai Miller was optioned to Class AAA New Orleans.
--RHP Chris Volstad left his March 11 start in the fifth inning after getting drilled in the right thigh by a line drive off the bat of St. Louis' Joe Mather. Volstad was taken out for precautionary reasons, and he did not limp when he left the field. As of March 13, the team planned to let him make his next start.
--C John Baker said no one on the team had approached him about a reduced role this season to accommodate veteran C Pudge Rodriguez. The Marlins have spoken with Scott Boras, Rodriguez's agent, but a reunion does not appear likely. Boras said Rodriguez wants to play the majority of games, but the Marlins plan to make Baker their starter.
--SS Hanley Ramirez returned to the Marlins on March 13 for the first time since the Dominican Republic was upset by the Netherlands in the first round of the World Baseball Classic.
"Are you surprised when we eliminated the Mets in September last year? No. It's baseball. Anything can happen," he said when asked if he was surprised by his country's showing.
BY THE NUMBERS: 1 -- Run allowed by RHP Josh Johnson over his first three Grapefruit League starts, a total of 11 innings.
QUOTE TO NOTE: "I don't know if our team runs the same without him. It's hard to replace him because he can come in and play any position. We're definitely going to miss him." -- RF Cody Ross, on injured UT Alfredo Amezaga.
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