According to Joe Capozzi of the Palm Beach Post, Jeff Mathis suffered a broken collarbone when he was hit by a foul tip during the fourth inning of today’s Grapefruit League opener against the Cardinals. The injury will sideline him for around six weeks, which means he’ll likely begin the season on the disabled list.
Mathis was acquired by the Marlins this winter in the big 12-player trade that sent Jose Reyes, Josh Johnson, Mark Buehrle and Emilio Bonifacio to Toronto. The 29-year-old backstop batted .218/.249/.393 with eight home runs and a .642 OPS in 227 plate appearances last season and threw out 41 percent of attempted basestealers.
Mathis was projected to open the season as the backup to young Rob Brantly, but the Marlins could now be on the lookout for some veteran insurance behind the plate. Kyle Skipworth is the only other catcher on the 40-man roster.
