Before hiring an 80-year-old as their new manager the Marlins made a different surprising move last week by demoting former Rookie of the Year and Opening Day center fielder Chris Coghlan to Triple-A, but the transaction has been voided because Coghlan informed the team of a knee injury and has instead been placed on the disabled list.
That may not seem like a big distinction, particularly since Coghlan will surely head out on a minor-league rehab assignment once healthy, but in the meantime he’ll collect an MLB salary and accrue MLB service time. In other words, it’s a big difference for his wallet and for the timing of his arbitration eligibility and (eventually) free agency.
Coghlan hit just .230 with five homers and a .668 OPS in 65 games, but based on their respective track records replacements Emilio Bonifacio and DeWayne Wise don’t figure to be any better offensively. Wise has drawn all three starts since Coghlan lost the job, but he’s a 33-year-old journeyman with a .222 batting average and .640 OPS in 379 games.
