Anthony Bender hits setback in shin rehab, stops throwing for Miami Marlins

Anthony Bender has stopped throwing and is set for re-evaluation, per MLB.com's injury tracker — a setback that arrives at a particularly unwelcome moment for the Miami Marlins. The right-hander had been scheduled to throw off a mound this past weekend, but that session did not happen. Per the tracker, Bender made a rehab appearance on August 18 and experienced lingering soreness in his right shin afterward. He had been on the 15-day injured list since June 30 with a stress reaction in that shin.

No timetable for a return has been reported.

Why it matters

The Marlins are four games behind the final Wild Card spot with three weeks remaining in the regular season, per MLB Trade Rumors. That margin is thin enough that the roster's shape matters on a daily basis, and Bender had been one of the more reliable pieces in Miami's bullpen before the shin issue interrupted his season.

What makes the setback sting a little more is the quality of what Bender was doing before he landed on the injured list. Per MLB Trade Rumors, he had tossed 34 1/3 innings with a 2.62 ERA prior to going down. More importantly, the underlying numbers behind that ERA were meaningfully better than the year before — which is the kind of detail that separates a reliever you can count on from one you're quietly hoping doesn't get exposed.

In the prior season, per MLB Trade Rumors, Bender posted a 2.16 ERA, but that figure rested on a .213 batting average on balls in play and an 82.7% strand rate — both figures that tend to regress. His 20.6% strikeout rate and 10.3% walk rate that season were, per the report, subpar. The 2026 version of Bender appeared to be pitching to a more sustainable outcome. Losing that version of him for an indeterminate stretch, with the calendar running out, is the kind of problem that doesn't show up cleanly in a box score but absolutely shows up in a bullpen's workload.

The numbers

Bender's season line before the IL stint: 34 1/3 innings, 2.62 ERA, per MLB Trade Rumors. For context, that ERA was slightly higher than his prior-year mark of 2.16, but the report notes the 2026 results were built on a stronger foundation — better strikeout and walk rates than the prior year's 20.6% and 10.3%, respectively.

The Marlins' record stands at 72-72 (.500), placing them 3rd in the NL East, 13 games back of the division lead. In the Wild Card picture, they rank 5th, 4.0 games relative to the cut line. They enter this week on a one-game winning streak.

Where the club stands

At 72-72, Miami is exactly at the .500 mark — which is either a glass-half-full story about a rebuilding club staying relevant into September, or a glass-half-empty story about a team that needed to be better than this by now. The Wild Card math says 4.0 games to make up with roughly three weeks to play, which is doable in the abstract and genuinely difficult in practice.

The upcoming schedule offers no soft landing. The Marlins host the New York Mets for three games at loanDepot park to open the week: Eury Pérez against Jonah Tong on Monday, Sandy Alcantara against Sean Manaea on Tuesday, and Janson Junk against Robert Stock on Wednesday. The Mets are a team with their own October ambitions, which means this series carries real weight for both clubs.

What we don't know yet

The most obvious open question is when, or whether, Bender will be available again this season. No return timetable has been reported. The re-evaluation process will determine what comes next, but no specific date for that evaluation or its findings has been disclosed.

It is also worth noting that the Marlins have been navigating a broader run of roster turbulence. Two days before this Bender update, Kyle Stowers left a game early with a hamstring injury, with his availability described as uncertain. Earlier in the week, the club designated Leo Jiménez for assignment — he was subsequently released after hitting .199/.306/.259 in 66 games with Miami — with Deyvison De Los Santos recalled in the corresponding move. None of those situations are resolved cleanly, and Bender's setback adds another thread to an already complicated roster picture.

The 15-day injured list, which applies to pitchers under general league rules, sets a minimum absence but no maximum. A player on the IL can also be transferred to the 60-day IL, which would remove him from the 40-man roster count — though no such move has been reported for Bender. Under general rehab rules, pitchers may be on a rehab assignment for up to 30 days before a club must activate them or make another decision. Whether Bender's rehab clock resets with this setback, or how the club intends to proceed, has not been reported.

What to watch

The re-evaluation is the next concrete milestone. Any update from MLB.com's injury tracker on what the evaluation shows — and whether Bender resumes a throwing program — will clarify whether he's a realistic option for the final weeks of the season or effectively done for the year.

Beyond Bender specifically, the Marlins' bullpen construction over the next three weeks is worth monitoring. A club chasing a Wild Card spot with a thin margin and multiple relievers in uncertain health will be leaning heavily on whoever is available and functional. The Mets series starting Monday is an immediate stress test.

The Stowers hamstring situation also remains unresolved. Two injury situations in the outfield and bullpen simultaneously, with the roster expanded to 28 players under September rules, gives the club some flexibility — but flexibility and depth are not the same thing, and the schedule is not going to slow down to let anyone get healthy on their own timeline.