Redmond struggling to find the right time to give Stanton a day off; no timetable on Furcal return; Dobbs released

With an 11-game road trip set to begin on Thursday and his team in the midst of playing 20 games in 20 consecutive days, Marlins manager Mike Redmond said Tuesday he's been trying to find a window to give slugger Giancarlo Stanton a day off to rest.

It just hasn't been easy.

"Anytime you have a guy like that in the middle of that order doing what he's doing it's tough to sit him," Redmond said.

"That's not to say it might not happen here soon. It's just to get him a day whether he wants it or not. I remember Derrick Lee and Mike Lowell hated days off too. But at the end of the day we need him strong the whole year, not just the first couple months of the season. We'll see when that day comes. I've been able to get a guys a few days off here. We'll give some guys days throughout this road trip."

Stanton, who leads the National League with 10 homers and all of baseball with 37 RBI, is one of three Marlins who has played in every game this season. Third baseman Casey McGehee and shortstop Adeiny Hechavarria are the others.

"It's just hard in the National League to get guys a full day off," Redmond said. "The pitcher's spot comes up and you do have to use your best guys to hit in certain situations with runners in scoring position. We play close games. So we end up not having that luxury to take a guy and park him, say you're down the whole day. But we try."

Redmond said when he does finally get Stanton a day off in right field veteran Reed Johnson will replace him in the field. Redmond said he prefers to keep the rest of his outfield where they are comfortable.

> Redmond said second baseman Rafael Furcal is back in Jupiter on rehab assignment after aggravating his groin in his first game back with Double A Jacksonville last Friday. But Redmond said Furcal isn't playing in any games yet, and "as of right now there's no timetable for him to come back."

> Pinch-hitter Greg Dobbs, who privately worked out a $1.7 million extension with owner Jeffrey Loria to play for the Marlins this season, was officially released on Tuesday. 

The 35-year old left-handed bat was designated for assignment back on April 29th to make room for Ed Lucas. Dobbs had just one hit in his 13 pinch-at bats and had not seen any action in the field this season. He and his agent reportedly negotiated his extension without the knowledge of then president of baseball operations Larry Beinfest and his staff.

> As part of the Marlins' Think Tank program, an online curriculum-enhancement program for local fourth through sixth graders in Miami-Dade and Broward Counties, Redmond and a handful of players split up and visited students from four different schools on Tuesday.

So what were some of the best questions the players fielded?

"Do my parents still love me now that I play in the big leagues. That was my favorite one," said left fielder Christian Yelich, who along with catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia visited the Renaissance Charter School in Cooper City. "I was laughing pretty hard. I didn't even know what to say. I was like 'I think.'"

Said first baseman Garrett Jones, who visited the Mater Academy of International Studies in Miami: "One kid asked me how much I make in a day. We had a lot of fun. Mostly, everybody wanted to know where Stanton was."

TUESDAY'S LINEUPS

> Mets (16-15): 1. Juan Lagares CF, 2. Daniel Murhpy 2B, 3. David Wright 3B, 4. Curtis Granderson RF, 5. Chris Young LF, 6. Lucas Duda 1B, 7. Travis d'Arnaud C, 8. Ruben Tejada SS, 9. Bartolo Colon RHP.

> Marlins (17-15): 1. Christian Yelich LF, 2. Derek Dietrich 2B, 3. Giancarlo Stanton RF, 4. Casey McGehee 3B, 5. Jarrod Saltalamacchia C, 6. Garrett Jones 1B, 7. Marcell Ozuna CF, 8. Adeiny Hechavarria SS, 9. Henderson Alvarez RHP.