Major League Baseball

Injured Marlins star Stanton finished for season

Published Sep. 17, 2014 5:22 p.m. ET

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NEW YORK (AP) Injured Miami Marlins slugger Giancarlo Stanton won't play again in the majors this season because of last week's beaning.

Stanton was hit in the face by a fastball from Milwaukee's Mike Fiers last Thursday. Stanton sustained facial fractures, dental damages, cuts that required stitches and two black eyes. Marlins president of baseball operations Mike Hill said Stanton also had concussion symptoms but has been given neurological clearance.

''It's the whole healing process, the healing of the bones and the swelling,'' Marlins manager Mike Redmond said before Wednesday's game against the New York Mets. ''There's just not enough time for it to properly heal, and for him to get medically cleared to be able to play.''

Miami opens a seven-game homestand Thursday, then closes the season at Washington from Sept. 26-28.

''As much as we all would have loved to have him back, we knew that it just ran out of schedule,'' Hill said.

Stanton had said he hoped to play again this year and on Tuesday posted a photograph that showed a marked improvement from last week. Hill said dental procedures are ''the bulk of the work that is remaining.''

''He told me he can open his mouth 60 percent now,'' Hill said. ''The slices in the food that he has to cut, they're in halves now. They were in quarters a few days ago.''

The 24-year-old is a top candidate for the NL MVP award. His 37 home runs still are the most in the NL, and he was leading the majors with 105 RBIs when he was hurt.

Hill said Stanton might be able to get some at-bats in at the instructional league in Florida, which runs through the first week of October.

Stanton could wear a protective flap on his helmet, similar to the one Atlanta's Jason Heyward has used since he was hit in the face by a pitch from the New York Mets' Jonathon Niese on Aug. 21 last year.

''That's probably for down the road,'' Redmond said. ''I would definitely say he would probably try that.''

Stanton is earning $10.35 million this year and is eligible for free agency after the 2016 season.

''We're hopeful that the season will end, he'll be named MVP of the league, and we'll get back into our offseason preparation and, hopefully, our long-term discussion with him,'' Hill said.

Fiers was fined by Major League Baseball for actions that contributed to benches clearing. Marlins pitcher Anthony Desclafani hit Carlos Gomez with a pitch in the following inning and was suspended for three games and fined by MLB. The players' association appealed the suspension, and Hill said a hearing is scheduled for Friday.

''Hopefully they'll get the video and see that he wasn't trying to hit anybody,'' Hill said. ''Gomez was hanging out over the plate a little bit.''

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