Marlins’ Yuli Gurriel OK after taking ball to face. And updates on Cabrera, Cueto

Miami Marlins first baseman Yuli Gurriel appears to have avoided the worst after a groundball hit him in the face during pregame defense work on Thursday.

Gurriel left the field at Fenway Park when a groundball took an errant hop and went straight toward his nose and right cheek prior to Miami’s series finale against the Boston Red Sox. He was escorted to the clubhouse with trainers by his side and a towel over his face to minimize the bleeding.

Gurriel, however, did not break any bones but still has some swelling. He is wearing a protective face mask until the swelling subsides and is available off the bench as the Marlins begin a three-game series against the Atlanta Braves on Friday at Truist Park.

“It was a lot of pain at in the beginning,” Gurriel said pregame Friday. “I’m not gonna lie. There was a lot of fear, too, not knowing what was going on. I was worried about the bone [breaking], but we’re good.”

Gurriel said this was the first time a ball hit him in the face like that. The only other instance similar to that in his baseball career came when he was 17 years old and collided with a teammate going for a fly ball.

“That hurt the top of my nose,” Gurriel said, “but never with the ball.”

Marlins manager Skip Schumaker said they caught a break (no pun intended) with Gurriel’s injury. The 39-year-old first baseman has been a leader in the clubhouse and has been steady when playing, hitting .268 with a .717 OPS, 16 RBI and 18 runs scored in 51 games played.

“He took one square off the face,” Schumaker said. “We don’t want to lose him for a number of different reasons with what he provides in the clubhouse. We really wanted to get him the at-bats [Thursday]. I just didn’t want him to sit that whole Boston series. Total bummer that we lost him [Thursday] but very fortunate that we’re not losing him for a couple weeks.”

Edward Cabrera throws bullpen

For the first time since going on the injured list June 14 with a right shoulder impingement, Edward Cabrera is throwing off a mound.

The 25-year-old right-handed pitcher threw a 22-pitch bullpen session in Atlanta on Friday, the next step toward his return. He only threw fastballs in the bullpen session but said he felt “super great.”

“I’m feeling good. I’m feeling stronger,” Cabrera said. “Pretty much crazy to [get] back with the team and be able to help them out.”

Considering he hasn’t begun mixing in his secondary pitches and likely will need to go through a rehab assignment, it’s safe to assume Cabrera will be out through at least the All-Star Break, which starts in a week and a half.

But his inevitable return will continue to shore up a Marlins rotation that has excelled as of late despite dealing with injuries.

“It was really good to see him go off the mound,” Schumaker said. “Everything came out right. It was fastball-only, but he felt really good. The last five, eight pitches, he let it go a little bit, which was really good to see. We’ll see how he feels later today and tomorrow and go from there.”

Latest on Johnny Cueto

Veteran right-handed pitcher Johnny Cueto, who has been on the injured list essentially all season first with right biceps tightness and then with an ankle sprain sustain during his first rehab assignment stint, is scheduled to make his next rehab assignment start on Monday with Triple A Jacksonville. Like his most recent outing on Wednesday, Cueto is slated to throw either six innings or about 90 pitches.

On Wednesday, Cueto went just 4 2/3 innings, giving up seven runs on eight hits (including three home runs) and three walks while striking out six. Over his four rehab assignment outings this month, Cueto has given up 17 earned runs over 15 2/3 innings (a 9.77 ERA) on 27 hits (including seven home runs) and five walks with eight strikeouts.

The results have not been great; there’s no denying that.

So what is Schumaker looking at when evaluating how Cueto is progressing and what still needs to be accomplished?

“Quality strikes,” Schumaker said. “Making sure that his cutter is where he wants it to be. Making sure his changeup and the characteristic of it is where he wants it to be and where we want it to be. He’s a guy that has to move the ball around and change speeds. He’s not going to out-velo you. He’s got to be able to make pitches. When he feels like he’s ready to make pitches and we feel like he’s ready, then I think that’s the last step. He feels really good about where he’s at. I know the numbers probably aren’t suggesting it, but he feels like he’s almost ready to go.”