Guillen doesn't want lingering injuries to be a problem again for Marlins in 2013

Manager Ozzie Guillen made it clear Wednesday he doesn't want to have a repeat of the 2012 season when lingering injuries kept some of his best players off the field and hurt the team.

He wants players to stop delaying surgery, heal, rehab and be ready for the start of spring training. Or else, as Guillen put it, "there are going to be surprises."

"I'm not a doctor, but I don't know why people have to wait so long to have surgery," Guillen said when asked specifically about Logan Morrison, who said Tuesday he'll have a second surgery to reconnect his torn right patella tendon (Sept. 5) and will need to rehab six months.

"It ain't going to happen here like it's happened in the past... Agents and people and doctors and different opinions make those guys go different ways. Now, it's time for the Marlins to take it our way."

Last November, the Marlins let Morrison (who was shut down for the season after going on the disabled list July 29) participate in an All-Star tournament in Taiwan, even though he’d had a history of issues with the knee during the 2011 season.

Guillen said he not only had a problem with that, but also how the Marlins handled a lingering knee issue with right fielder Giancarlo Stanton, who missed most of spring training and almost a month of the season following arthroscopic knee surgery in July.

That's why Guillen said he's pushing outfielder Emilio Bonifacio, who went on the disabled list last week with a right knee sprain, to also shut it down and get healed.

"If you need to go in, clean it up, do it right now and I'll see you in spring training," Guillen said of Bonifacio.

"... If I'm going to get fired, I'm going to get fired my way. I'm going to get fired because I was bad. There's too many different things. We pay them a lot money, they got to respond to us -- to the Marlins, Mr. Loria, Mr. Beinfest. It's our way, not your agents way or your own doctor's way. It's the Marlins way, if you don't like it talk to your agent."

REYES SPENDS TIME WITH MAKE-A-WISH CHILD

Earlier this year Jose Reyes cut his dreadlocks for the Make-A-Wish Foundation and welcomed a child from the charity during spring training.

Before Wednesday’s game, Reyes and teammate Josh Johnson hosted another fan through the Make-A-Wish program, a seventeen-year-old boy from Minnesota named Blake.

Reyes said he agreed to meet Blake immediately after he heard about his request. “You know that when they’re around major league players they’re going to feel good, they’re going to feel happy, at least for the moment,” Reyes said.

Reyes said Blake gave him a red “Stay strong Blake” bracelet to wear for good luck during the game.

> Six Marlins prospects have been chosen to participate in the Arizona Fall League. Pitchers Grant Dayton, Brian Flynn, and Scott McGough, outfielders Kyle Jensen and Christian Yelich and catcher Jacob Realmuto,will all play for the Phoenix Desert Dogs.

The six-team AFL is a traditional destination for some of baseball’s biggest prospects. Yelich, the top prospect in the ground, has been batting .319 for the Class A-Advanced Jupiter Hammerheads.

The Desert Dogs will also consist of minor leaguers from the Braves, Athletics, Brewers and Rays organizations.

> Could Stanton be in line for another NL Player of the Month award?

The right fielder, who won the award in May after hitting .343 with 12 homers and 30 RBI, is batting .320 with 10 home runs and 22 RBIs in August. His stiffest competition offensively will come from the Padres Chase Headley (.306, 10 HRs, 28 RBI), Cincinnati's Todd Frazier (.340, 6 HRs, 25 RBI), former teammate Hanley Ramirez (.296, 6 HRs, 24 RBI) and the Giant's Buster Posey (.367, 6 HRs, 19 RBI).

The Marlins distributed 15,000 bobblehead dolls of Stanton to 15,000 fans Wednesday.

Guillen said he received a lot of requests for them -- mostly from women.

"They asked me if he was naked. I said 'No he has a uniform on,'" Guillen said before breaking out into laughter. "But that's awesome. A couple years in the big leagues and have a bobblehead -- that's outstanding. I know people who have bobbleheads and don't deserve to have them. This kid does. Good for him."

-- MANNY NAVARRO AND R.J. RICO

WEDNESDAY'S LINEUPS

> Nationals (77-51): 1. Jayson Werth RF, 2. Bryce Harper CF, 3. Jordan Zimmerman 3B, 4. Adam LaRoche 1B, 5. Mike Morse LF, 6. Ian Desmond SS, 7. Danny Espinosa 2B, 8. Kurt Suzuki C, 9. Ross Detwiler P.

> Marlins (59-71): 1. Gorkys Hernandez CF, 2. Donovan Solano 2B, 3. Jose Reyes SS, 4. Carlos Lee 1B, 5. Giancarlo Stanton RF, 6. Justin Ruggiano LF, 7. John Buck C, 8. Donnie Murphy 3B, 9. Jacob Turner P.