Peter Fairbanks: Everything you need to know

Marlins manager Clayton McCullough said that Fairbanks (hand) threw a "very encouraging" 13-pitch bullpen session Wednesday, Jeremy Tache of Marlins.tv reports. Fairbanks was able to get back on the mound for the first time since Miami placed him on the 15-day injured list April 28 due to nerve irritation in his right hand. Though Fairbanks had a similar occurrence of nerve irritation back in the 2024 season with the Rays and ended up missing about three weeks, the Marlins are hopeful that the veteran reliever will be ready to return from the shelf in close to the minimum 15 days. Fairbanks' ability to complete a side session is a promising step toward meeting that goal, and he's set to throw again Friday before Miami determines his next steps, per MLB.com.

The Marlins placed Fairbanks (hand) on the 15-day injured list Tuesday due to nerve irritation. Fairbanks exited Monday's contest against the Dodgers after losing feeling in his right hand, and he said after the game that it was similar to the nerve issue he dealt with back in April 2024 while he was with the Rays. He was out for about three weeks then, though the Marlins are optimistic that he won't miss more than the minimum 15 days this time around, per Christina De Nicola of MLB.com. In the meantime, Anthony Bender, Andrew Nardi, Calvin Faucher and Tyler Phillips will all be options to pick up saves for the Marlins, and Cade Gibson will come up from Triple-A Jacksonville to round out the bullpen.

Fairbanks described the issue that forced him out of Monday's 5-4 loss to the Dodgers as numbness in his pitching hand, a potential recurrence of the nerve issue that sidelined him in April 2024 during his time with the Rays, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports. "Just a lot of diminished sensation," Fairbanks said after the game. "Felt like any movement of the wrist would exacerbate just loss of sensation in the index finger. So we'll see where it goes and how to work on it." The right-hander was sidelined for about three weeks in 2024 when the issue first surfaced, but Fairbanks went on to have a strong season for Tampa Bay once he returned, converting 23 of 27 save chances with a 3.57 ERA and 1.17 WHIP over 45.1 innings. For however long Fairbanks is unavailable this time around, the Marlins will likely take a committee approach to the ninth inning, with Anthony Bender, Tyler Phillips, Andrew Nardi and Calvin Faucher all options to close out games depending on matchups.