When Will Jesus Luzardo Return and Be Back? Fantasy Baseball Injury Update

The Marlins made a surprising run to the playoffs last season and, despite knowing before 2024 even began that they'd be without former Cy Young winner Sandy Alcantara, it seemed like they'd again be in contention for a playoff berth this season with an exciting young pitching staff leading the way.

Then the seemingly non-stop rash of injuries began to take over. First it was Eury Perez, then Edward Cabrera, then Ryan Weathers, then Braxton Garrett (again), and now de facto ace Jesus Luzardo. At least there was hope that it would be short-term at first, but now it sounds like he will miss a couple months.

Luzardo was struggling anyway, so should you just drop him? If not, what is his outlook for the rest of the season? Let's take a look.

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Jesus Luzardo Injury Update for Fantasy Baseball

Jesus Luzardo was scratched from his scheduled start on Saturday against the Mariners due to a back issue. It is now being described as a "lumbar stress reaction." Marlins manager Skip Schumaker said that the 26-year-old had been dealing with the issue for a couple weeks. He had already logged an IL stint earlier in the season due to left elbow tightness. Between the elbow and the back, perhaps that explains his struggles this season after having a breakout 2023 campaign.

Today's roster update presented by: @UMiamiHealth pic.twitter.com/wcr1nbLG8M

— Miami Marlins (@Marlins) June 23, 2024

Unfortunately, what was thought to perhaps be minor suddenly became major when Skip Schumaker said he'd miss 4-to-6 weeks, but now even that timeline is out the window. On Sunday, the Marlins moved the southpaw from the 15-day IL to the 60-day IL, making the earliest he'd be eligible to return the 18th of August.

Jesus Luzardo Fantasy Baseball Outlook

Luzardo was coming off a season in which he recorded 10 wins, a 3.58 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, and a 28.1% K%. FIP, xFIP, and SIERA weren't far off his ERA and he owned a top-12 SwStr%. Things were looking bright, however, it hadn't been going that way so far in 2024. Through 12 starts, the lefty had posted a 5.00 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, and his K% had dropped all the way to 21.2%. FIP, xFIP, and SIERA painted a somewhat rosier picture, but a K/9 that went from 10.48 to 7.83 and an average fastball velocity dropping from 96.7 to 95.1 is cause for concern.

Jesús Luzardo, Wicked Sliders. 🤢✝️🦎 pic.twitter.com/TCBUcA5RrB

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) April 20, 2024

It is possible the elbow tightness and back problem are the reasons for his struggles, so let's let him rest for the next several weeks and see how he performs when he returns. If it is more of the same that we saw over the first 12 starts, then the former third-round draft pick is probably at best a spot starter for fantasy. If he returns to 2023 levels, then you might have a secret weapon come fantasy playoff time. For now, stash him in an IL spot until he returns.

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