After rehab grind and watching success from afar, Anthony Bender ready to rejoin Marlins bullpen

All Anthony Bender could do last season was watch as the Miami Marlins went on their playoff run. Instead of being in the bullpen as one of Miami’s high-leverage right-handed relievers, Bender’s 2023 consisted solely of rehab after undergoing Tommy John surgery as well as an operation on his hip.

“Watching the games on TV was exciting but tough,” Bender told the Miami Herald, “because you want to be out there, especially with the winning season and everything with the playoffs. I’m super happy for everyone, but I’m definitely ready to be in their myself this year.”

The Marlins’ bullpen was one of its strengths during that successful 2023 season. All of the main characters from that group — closer Tanner Scott, setup man Andrew Nardi along with lefties Steven Okert and A.J. Puk (who could get an opportunity to join the rotation) and righties Huascar Brazoban and JT Chargois — return for 2024.

And now they’ll add Bender to the mix.

“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.”

That job will likely be somewhere in the back end of the bullpen, just like he did before his elbow injury sidelined him late in the 2022 season. In 82 career games, Bender has a 2.90 ERA with 88 strikeouts over 80 2/3 innings. He has nine saves in 13 opportunities. His sinker averages about 97 mph and his slider has a career 44.4-percent swing-and-miss rate.

More than anything, Bender wants to compete again. He realized how much he missed it when he was spending day after day doing rehab to get back to the point where he could get back on a mound.

“You’re so used to being ready to go every single day, especially out of the bullpen,” Bender said. “It got to the point where I had to realize I had to really listen to my body. Every day that I felt good and I thought I could go out there and be 100 percent, it took a little bit more time. I definitely rolled with the punches and with the ups and downs. It’s a year long process. Everything’s not gonna go totally smooth. You’re hoping it does, but unfortunately that’s not the case. I’ve had to be patient, let my body do its thing and just trust the whole process. It was a tough one, though. It’s a grind for sure.”

But Bender knows he’ll have to work to get that role back, especially given the bullpen’s success last season. According to Fangraphs, Marlins relievers last season combined for 5.9 wins above average, tied with the Cincinnati Reds for the fourth-highest total in MLB. Only the Los Angeles Dodgers (7.6), Baltimore Orioles (7.5) and Philadelphia Phillies (6.8) had more.

“Nardi already stepped it up big time this year. He was unreal. Tanner at the end there was just striking everyone out, throwing hard and doing great when he got into that closer role,” Bender said. “I’m excited to get back and just hang out with them in the bullpen and just get back to it. I miss it.”