The Miami Marlins have received a blast of bad news over the past few days. From starter Jarred Cosart colliding with third baseman Martin Prado and having to leave his start to superstar Giancarlo Stanton only having three at-bats so far and not traveling with team due to soreness in his surgically repaired knee, the worst and longest-lasting news came this morning. Elite reliever Carter Capps underwent Tommy John surgery on Tuesday morning, knocking him out of the 2016 season and putting into doubt his availability for the beginning of 2017.

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Capps was supposed to compete for the closer role with the team’s 2015 closer A.J. Ramos but that competition ended before it even began. Capps complained about elbow soreness upon arriving to Marlins’ camp. An MRI turned into a second opinion which resulted in the first pitcher lost to Tommy John for the 2016 season.

Capps was unreal in a limited sample in 2015, pitching 31 innings over 30 games and posting a 1.16 ERA. His 1.10 FIP/1.17 xFIP showed that he was excellent, not lucky, and that his minuscule ERA could be sustainable over longer periods. He posted a ridiculous 16.84 K/9 with a 2.03 BB/9, both excellent rates.

Fantasy owners outside of deep dynasty and keeper leagues can go ahead and drop Capps now as he won’t see a mound for at least a year. This news gives A.J. Ramos a definite bump as he will now go into the season as the uncontested closer and will likely end up with a longer leash in-season since Capps won’t be there to nip at his heels. Other members in the back end of the Marlins bullpen like Mike Dunn and Bryan Morris get a bit of a boost as well. They can both be looked at right now in leagues that count holds, but owners in non-holds leagues should keep an eye on them as well in case of a Ramos injury. Ramos has yet to appear in a Grapefruit League game this year as he is nursing a calf injury. If that were to turn into something major, Morris or Dunn could be given a chance at the ninth-inning role.

David A. Marcillo is a correspondent at FantasyPros. To read more from David, check out his archive and follow him @DavidMarcillo77.

