Miami Marlins relief pitcher Anthony Bender (elbow) said that he's fully recovered from Tommy John surgery that he had in August of 2022 and is expecting to enter spring training without any limitations. "I'm ready to go in and help out anywhere I can," Bender said. "If there's a spot where my name is called, I'll go out there and do my job." The 29-year-old right-hander didn't pitch at all in 2023 as a result of his Tommy John procedure in addition to a hip surgery he had in 2022. In his first two big-league seasons with the Fish in 2021 and 2022, Bender had a 2.90 ERA (3.57 FIP), 1.12 WHIP, nine saves, 28 walks and 88 K's in 80 2/3 relief innings. Expect Miami to ease Bender back into the fold as more of a middle reliever early in 2024, but he could eventually find himself in high-leverage situations again while competing for saves with Tanner Scott and A.J. Puk.

Miami Marlins relief pitcher Anthony Bender (elbow) had Tommy John surgery on Aug. 30 in Los Angeles. His rehab was moved from Jupiter, Fla., to Miami on Sept. 9. He exited an outing after just five pitches on Aug. 13 and was placed on the injured list on Aug. 14. There's a good chance that the 27-year-old right-hander won't pitch at all in the majors in 2023 after having elbow reconstruction. Before his injury last month, Bender had a 3.26 ERA (4.78 FIP), a 1.29 WHIP, six saves and 17 strikeouts in 19 1/3 relief innings in just his second major league season.

Miami Marlins relief pitcher Anthony Bender (elbow) has been placed on the 15-day injured list with a right elbow strain. The 27-year-old right-hander threw just five pitches in Saturday's contest against the Braves before exiting early. He missed several months earlier this season with a back issue and has only made six appearances between May 18 and August 13. Bender owns a 3.26 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, and 17:8 K/BB ratio over just 19 1/3 innings this year. The Marlins should provide an update on him on Monday. Andrew Nardi had his contract selected from Triple-A Jacksonville in a corresponding move.

Miami Marlins relief pitcher Anthony Bender (back) will reportedly make a rehab appearance for the organization's Double-A affiliate on Tuesday. Bender is currently on the 60-day injured list and most recently pitched in the Majors on May 18 in an appearance against the Washington Nationals. So far this season, the right-hander has pitched to a 4.50 ERA and a 5.34 FIP in 14 innings for the Marlins. He's also logged six saves, though, at the moment, Tanner Scott has taken over as Miami's closer. Due to Scott's emergence, Bender might only have fantasy value in deeper leagues where holds are part of the scoring when he returns from the injured list.

Miami Marlins reliever Anthony Bender (back) has been transferred to the 60-day injured list. The Fish are dealing with a bevy of injuries so this was a procedural move to clear a spot on the 40-man roster. Bender has been out since late May with back stiffness. He compiled a 4.50 ERA, 1.57 WHIP, and 13:5 K/BB ratio to go along with six saves over 14 innings before landing on the IL.

Miami Marlins relief pitcher Anthony Bender (back) played catch from 60 feet on Tuesday in Jupiter, Fla. He underwent an MRI exam on May 26 that revealed no further damage. Bender last pitched in a major league game on May 18, but he's getting closer to returning to game action. The 27-year-old right-hander is making slow progress, and unless something changes, he's unlikely to return to the Marlins bullpen before the All-Star break. Before landing on the injured list, he was posting a 4.50 ERA, 1.57 WHIP, six saves, 13 strikeouts and five walks in 14 relief innings. Bender has nine saves for the Fish in the last two seasons.

Miami Marlins relief pitcher Anthony Bender (back) has been placed on the 15-day injured list, retroactive May 23. He will be sidelined due to back stiffness, which is something that has bothered Bender for quite some time now. The Marlins are expected to use closer by committee while Bender is out. Anthony Bass, Cole Sulser, Tanner Scott and Dylan Floro should all get chances in the ninth inning. There isn't a clear winner here, but Floro might be the best option out of everyone.

Miami Marlins relief pitcher Anthony Bender (hip) has been dealing with hip soreness lately. He was held out of action this past weekend and we saw the team turn to both Tanner Scott and Louis Head for saves. However, on Tuesday, Bender was available and he was called upon to close out the team's 5-2 victory over the Washington Nationals. He pitched a scoreless ninth inning, retiring all three batters in order. He is now 3-for-4 on save opportunities this year. Expect for Bender to carry on as the team's primary closer for now, but remember that Dylan Floro (shoulder) is nearing a return and could complicate the saves picture once he's back.

Miami Marlins relief pitcher Anthony Bender (hip) is dealing with soreness in his hip, and the Marlins are being cautious with him after it started acting up in his last outing on April 20 when he allowed two earned runs on a home run while walking one and striking out two in a loss over one inning of work. With a save opportunity on Saturday against the Atlanta Braves, it was Tanner Scott, not Bender, coming in to get the save. The 27-year-old is feeling better, but it remains to be seen when he'll toe the rubber next. Dylan Floro (shoulder) remains on the injured list, so the Fish will move forward with a closer committee involving Scott, Bender, Cole Sulser and Anthony Bass. Bender has two saves but has also allowed four earned runs in his first 4 1/3 innings over five outings to begin the season.

Miami Marlins relief pitcher Anthony Bender was tagged with the loss during Wednesday's game against the St. Louis Cardinals. Starter Sandy Alcantara fired eight scoreless innings before Bender took over in the ninth. Sadly, Bender issued a walk before allowing a two-run home run to Nolan Arenado. Bender does have two saves on the season, but he also has a blown save and two losses as well. Dylan Floro (shoulder) should be back shortly, so he could find himself in the mix for saves, assuming Bender continues to struggle.

Miami Marlins pitcher Anthony Bender allowed two hits over a scoreless inning to earn the save in Thursday's 4-3 win over the Philadelphia Phillies. The right-hander entered the ninth inning to protect a 4-3 lead and needed nine pitches to notch his second save of the season. He surrendered a single to Alex Bohm but got Kyle Schwarber to ground into a double play. Bender allowed another hit to JT Realmuto but was able to get Bryce Harper to fly out to the end game. The 27-year-old bounced back after being tagged with the loss in his previous appearance. Bender should be rostered in all leagues as he is Miami's primary closer after converting 2-of-3 save chances this season.

Miami Marlins closer Anthony Bender was charged with his first loss of the season in Tuesday's 4-3 loss to the Angels. Bender entered the game in the bottom of the ninth inning with the game tied at 3. He got the first out but then walked Jack Mayfield, who was replaced by Tyler Wade. Wade stole second and advanced to third on a wild pitch by Bender. Wade then scored the winning run on a fielder's choice. Bender's final stat line was one run allowed on no hits and a walk through 1/3 of an inning. The 27-year-old appeared to be the team's primary closer while Dylan Floro (arm) is on the injured list with arm soreness. However, Bender now owns a 7.71 ERA through three appearances and has one save, one blown save, and now a loss. It will be interesting to see if manager Don Mattingly continues to give Bender opportunities in high-leverage situations given how he has fared to this point.

Miami Marlins pitcher Anthony Bender allowed one hit over a scoreless inning to earn the save in Saturday's 2-1 win over the San Francisco Giants. After being charged with the blown save in Friday's loss, he bounced back on Saturday by converting his first save of the season. It's a good sign for Bender as Marlins manager Don Mattingly went right back to Bender on Saturday despite blowing the save on Friday. The 27-year-old owns a 4.50 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, and one strikeout over two appearances this season. Bender is the Marlins' primary closer and should be rostered in all league formats.

Miami Marlins pitcher Anthony Bender surrendered a solo home run while striking out one over an inning in Friday's 6-5 loss to the San Francisco Giants. The right-hander was tagged with his first blown save of the season. He entered Friday's game in the bottom of the ninth inning to protect a one-run lead. The 27-year-old surrendered a solo shot to Thairo Estrada, which sent the game into extra innings. Marlins manager Don Mattingly recently said Bender would be Miami's primary closer while Dylan Floro (shoulder) is sidelined. It remains to be seen if Friday's results will change the manager's mind to make a quick switch to closer. Another potential closing option, Cole Sulser, struck out one over a scoreless inning. Despite Bender's recent struggles, he is the closer for now, but fantasy managers who have him rostered should add Sulser as insurance.

Miami Marlins pitcher Anthony Bender is the "go-to guy" in the ninth inning, said manager Don Mattingly. He will get the first shot to be Miami's primary closer. The 27-year-old could have competition for save chances once Dylan Floro (shoulder) returns from the 10-day injured list. The Marlins also recently acquired reliever Cole Sulser from the Baltimore Orioles. Bender will need to produce if he plans on handling ninth duties this season. In 2021, the right-hander was excellent for the Marlins, converting three of five saves while posting a 2.79 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, and 71 strikeouts over 61 1/3 innings. Fantasy managers should add Bender to their roster in all leagues while he currently has the Marlins' closer role.

Miami Marlins relief pitcher Anthony Bender earned a Grapefruit League save in Monday's win over the New York Mets. Bender struck out three and allowed one hit to close out the 3-0 win. As the roster stands today, Bender is clearly the best pitcher in the Marlins bullpen, but the odds are against him being the team's Opening Day closer due to manager Don Mattingly valuing "experience" over "guys who can strike guys out". Bender will be a valuable holds league asset, but his standard league value may need to wait.

Miami Marlins rookie relief pitcher Anthony Bender struggled on Saturday, getting through one inning but not before allowing four runs on three hits and two walks. Despite allowing all that, Bender threw just 18 pitches, nine for strikes. He took the loss in the game, dropping his record to an even 2-2 and lifting his ERA to 3.18. There have been a few games this season in which Bender has clearly not "had it" but has been left in because of manager Don Mattingly's ineptitude at managing a pitching staff. Bender is still having a great rookie season and has a clear future as the Marlins closer.

Miami Marlins rookie relief pitcher Anthony Bender earned his third save of the season on Saturday in a 5-4 win over the Chicago Cubs. Bender pitched a perfect ninth inning, striking out two. He needed just 13 pitches (seven strikes) to lock down the win. Bender is the best option at closer for the Marlins, but because Don Mattingly manages them, Dylan Floro will continue to serve as the closer. He was the one called upon for the save chance in this game, but Bender came on to relieve him after Floro allowed two runs while only getting one out.

Miami Marlins rookie relief pitcher Anthony Bender picked up the second save of his career in Thursday's 4-2 win over the New York Mets. With Dylan Floro unavailable, Bender was called on to get the final three outs and did, but not before allowing an unearned run on one hit and one walk. He also recorded a strikeout. Bender is very clearly the only Marlins reliever with "closer stuff" but he's still behind Floro in the bullpen hierarchy because of "experience" or some other nonsense. At least this showed that Bender is the next one in line since he was called upon when Floro was not an option.

Miami Marlins rookie relief pitcher Anthony Bender came in to pitch the seventh inning in a 1-0 deficit on Friday against the New York Yankees. Bender was thought to perhaps be the next Marlins closer after Yimi Garcia was traded to the Houston Astros, but based on his usage in this game, that may not be the case. Bender ended up pitching a scoreless inning, allowing a walk but no hits and striking out two. The rookie has a 2.21 ERA and is probably the best choice to close in Miami, but Don Mattingly manages the Marlins, so the best choice is very rarely made. Dylan Floro or Anthony Bass are the more likely closer options at this point.