Chris

Coghlan

Neither Scott Cousins nor Bryan Petersen has done much of anything this spring, so Coghlan might yet be a candidate to make the Marlins. It could well come down to playing time; if the Marlins don’t think they can get enough at-bats, it’d make more sense to let him start regularly in Triple-A initially. Coghlan also needs to prove he’s healthy, of course. He’s 3-for-9 in five games to date.

It’s the right call. Coghlan was hitting an anemic .121/.147/.152 through 35 plate appearances. He’ll be given more playing time and a chance to work on his plate approach in the minors. The 26-year-old center fielder entered 2012 having batted just .252/.318/.376 in the two seasons since he won the 2009 NL Rookie of the Year award.

Scott Cousins and Aaron Rowand looked like the favorites to serve as the Marlins’ reserve outfielders at the start of camp, but it’s going to be Coghlan and Austin Kearns making the cut instead. Coghlan, who missed time early on with back problems, is hitting .267 in 45 at-bats, though he’s still without an extra-base hit. He probably won’t have much fantasy value.

The outfielder expects to be OK. Coghlan is coming off a lost year where he batted just .230/.296/.368 while spending a good chunk of the season in the minors.

Chris Coghlan will start in right field and bat sixth. John Buck will also get the day off. Backup catcher Brett Hayes is batting eighth.

He’s expected to be fine in a day or two. Coghlan will have to fight for a roster spot this season after batting just .230/.296/.368 last year while spending a good chunk of the season in the minors.

Coghlan was scratched from Friday’s lineup due to lower back tightness, but the fact that the Marlins let him travel with a back injury suggests the ailment isn’t a big deal. He should be fine.

Coghlan should be fine for spring training, but the scope took place on the same knee that he had surgically repaired in August of 2010. So there’s some concern that this has become a chronic issue. The 26-year-old center fielder has batted just .252/.318/.376 in the two seasons since he won the 2009 NL Rookie of the Year award.

Coghlan won the NL Rookie of the Year in 2009, but has struggled ever since, spending the final three months of the 2011 season in the minor leagues. “It’s been disappointing, really, the last two years,” Marlins president Larry Beinfest said Tuesday. “We still see him coming back as an outfielder and in center field. He finished the year in the minor leagues which was disappointing for him and disappointing for us. He needs to re-establish himself healthy which we anticipate he will be with the knee or knees and come in and compete. We already know he can be an offensive force, a great left-handed hitter.” The 27-year-old could win a roster spot as a utility man with an impressive showing during spring training, but the Marlins will likely attempt to sign a center fielder this winter.

Kearns is day-to-day after leaving Tuesday’s game with a tight right hamstring. Chris Coghlan will start in his place in left field and bat sixth against right-hander Alex White.