Miami Marlins catcher Nick Fortes exited Wednesday's Grapefruit League game versus the Nationals in the first inning after being struck in the groin by a foul ball. The 28-year-old is considered day-to-day, but fantasy managers relying on the veteran backstop would be wise to keep tabs on his status in the event anything changes. Right now, the former fourth-round draft pick is expected to be the Opening Day starter for the Marlins, with prospect Liam Hicks currently projected as his backup. Fortes doesn't have much fantasy appeal, but if Hicks were forced into a full-time role, he is a superb contact hitter and draws a ton of walks who would be an intriguing fantasy asset. The team also has their fourth-ranked prospect Agustin Ramirez waiting in the wings who profiles as a big-time power hitter and is also eligible at 1B on Yahoo were he to get thrust into the mix.
Miami Marlins catcher Nick Fortes will take a seat on Saturday afternoon and will cede catching duties to Jhonny Pereda. Fortes has started in each of the past two games. Since the start of the month, Fortes has carried a solid .274/.329/.419 line with six doubles and one home run. Pereda rejoined the major league roster earlier this month and has gone just 5-for-22 throughout September. Fantasy managers should expect Fortes to be behind the dish in the final game of the regular season on Sunday. Pereda should not be considered in DFS formats this afternoon as he will face Toronto right-hander Yariel Rodriguez.
Miami Marlins catcher Nick Fortes went 3-for-3 with a homer, a walk, three runs, and three RBI in an 8-0 win over the New York Mets on Friday. Fortes turned in his best offensive performance of the season in the lopsided win over New York. The veteran catcher launched a three-run homer off of Mets starter Christian Scott in the second inning as part of a four-run frame for Miami. Overall, Fortes is hitting just .159 with two homers, seven runs, and eight RBI across 82 at-bats. He will look to stay hot moving forward, although he only had six homers in 294 at-bats in 2023, so don't expect frequent power displays from the 27-year-old.
The Miami Marlins and manager Skip Schumaker are expecting more out of catcher Nick Fortes offensively this year after the 27-year-old backstop worked on his stance and swing mechanics this offseason. In his third year in the big leagues in 2023, Fortes struggled at the plate, slashing .204/.263/.299 with six home runs, 10 doubles, 26 RBI, four stolen bases and 33 runs scored in 323 trips to the plate over a career-high 108 games played. While he's unlikely to make significant gains at the plate in 2024, Fortes should remain Miami's primary catcher this year for his work with the team's pitching staff now that Jacob Stallings is no longer around. He will split playing time with Christian Bethancourt in 2024. Fortes is a low-upside, low-floor catching option for fantasy managers in two-catcher leagues.
Miami Marlins catcher Nick Fortes is behind the plate for Tuesday's Game 1 of the Wild Card round against the Philadelphia Phillies. The 26-year-old will bat ninth and do the catching versus right-hander Zack Wheeler on Tuesday. The Marlins didn't have a great option here with both their catchers struggling with the bat this season. Fortes is slashing .204/.263/.299 with six home runs and 26 RBI in 108 games this season. He won't have much streaming appeal for this contest.
Miami Marlins infielder Joey Wendle and catcher Nick Fortes are starting on the bench on Tuesday against the visiting Tampa Bay Rays. Jon Berti is starting at shortstop and batting ninth, while Jacob Stalling is doing the catching and hitting eighth against Rays right-hander Aaron Civale. Wendle has struggled offensive in 2023 in his second year in Miami, slashing .229/.264/.325 with a homer, 16 RBI, five stolen bases and 29 runs scored in 90 games. Fortes, meanwhile, has been even worse. The third-year backstop is batting .213 (53-for-249) with five home runs, seven doubles, 22 RBI, three stolen bases and 27 runs scored in 90 games played.
Miami Marlins catcher Nick Fortes will start the second half of the season on Friday on the bench against the Baltimore Orioles. The Marlins will use Jacob Stallings behind the plate instead, and he will hit eighth in the batting order against Orioles right-hander Dean Kremer. Stallings has become right-hander Sandy Alcantara's personal catcher this year, as he has caught all of his starts so far in 2023. Fortes, 26, carries very little fantasy intrigue in two-catcher formats, as he heads into the second half of the year slashing .211/.260/.289 with four home runs, three doubles, 18 RBI, three stolen bases and 19 runs scored in 205 plate appearances over 66 games played.
Nick Fortes
• C
•
Marlins
