When Dee Gordon was suspended for 80 games, many counted the Miami Marlins out. However, Derek Dietrich has served as a savior for the Marlins and their fanbase in Gordon’s absence.

Dee Gordon is a heartbreaker. He’s like that girl you fall in love with in a short amount of time, and then does something tragically bad to hurt you. In this case, the Miami Marlins fell in love with Dee Gordon, but then he did something tragically bad to hurt them. But thankfully for Marlins fans they haven’t had to endure a rotating door of second basemen in his absence. The team and its fans have been lucky enough to rely on Derek Dietrich.

When Gordon was suspended 80 games for testing positive for exogenous testosterone and Clostebol, two performance-enhancing drugs banned by MLB, it looked like a familiar road for the Marlins. Time after time the franchise and fanbase entered a season with high hopes just for a player not to pan out, injuries to overload them, or for their front office to blow up the roster.

Miami hasn’t finished above third place in the NL East since 2009, when they were still the Florida Marlins. In their 24-year history the Marlins have reached the postseason just twice, and haven’t been back since 2003 when they won the World Series.

So in April, when it was revealed that their All-Star, Gold Glove, Silver Slugger winning second baseman would miss almost half the season and the postseason (players disciplined under the PED policy are not eligible for the playoffs), Marlins fans assumed they would once again be headed down this same path. A winless season and another golf-filled October was most likely in store, but Dietrich has made those visions disappear.

The second baseman has been more than an admirable fill-in while Gordon has been working on his chip shot. In 241 at-bats, he’s hitting .295 with four home runs and 29 RBI. He’s batting .351 on all balls hit in play, and ranks fifth among second baseman in the NL in offensive runs above average.

He’s also been an extremely clutch hitter, and has been poised for big-time hitting situations. He’s hitting .308 with 21 RBI and four extra base hits with runners in scoring position. Add two outs to that exact same situation and he’s still hitting .296 with 8 RBI. With the count full, he’s been able to maintain a .385 average with a .500 OBP.

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Dietrich has put the Marlins in a very good situation as August approaches. With his help, the Marlins are tied for second in the NL East and the NL Wild Card. He’s earned himself a middle-of-the-lineup spot, hitting either third, fourth, fifth, or sixth almost every night.

As trade rumors fly and the Marlins look to attain some much needed pitching help, Dietrich has opened up trade opportunities for his club. Dee Gordon will be reinstated on July 29, two days before all trades are final. When Gordon comes back, the Marlins can either move him or Dietrich over to shortstop – most likely Gordon, who spent most of his time there in Los Angeles.

Moving one of them over to short allows the Marlins to trade Adeiny Hechavarria. Hechavarria is hitting just .243, but can serve as a very useful role player. In his career, he’s played third, second, and obviously short. He’s just 27 years old and won’t be a free agent until 2019. If the Marlins do make the playoffs they could possibly rely on Miguel Rojas, a utility infielder who has hit .259 in 112 at-bats this season.

According to FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal the Marlins are trying very hard to acquire either Chris Archer, Matt Moore, or Jake Odorizzi of the Tampa Bay Rays. Putting Hechavarria into a package for one of them would give the Rays a young, major league ready, cost-effective infielder that a rebuilding team needs.

With just a few months left in the season, Marlin fans sit in an unusual spot. They have four All-Stars, a Home Run Derby champion, and a team that is actually competing for October. Derek Dietrich isn’t the only reason they are still in contention, but he certainly has helped Marlin fans forget about Dee Gordon’s absence while adding major production