Nick Fortes DVOA, Advanced Stats, & Fantasy Rankings

The Miami Marlins announced on Friday that they placed catcher Nick Fortes (oblique) on the 10-day injured list (retroactive to April 10) with a left-oblique strain and selected the contract of catcher Rob Brantly from Triple-A Jacksonville in a corresponding move. Fortes will miss time with a Grade 1 left-oblique strain, which means Liam Hicks will be Miami's primary backstop moving forward. Hicks is batting seventh on Friday against the division-rival Washington Nationals. Brantly will serve as his backup until further notice. It's bad timing for the 28-year-old Fortes, as he opened the 2025 season hitting .300 (6-for-20) at the plate, albeit with no home runs, three RBI and only one run scored. Even though it's a minor oblique strain for Fortes, don't be surprised if he's forced to miss more than the 10 days on the IL.

Miami Marlins catcher Nick Fortes (neck) remains sidelined on Sunday when the Marlins conclude a series against the Atlanta Braves. Fortes was scratched from Saturday's lineup due to a neck injury. He was also held out of action on Friday. Fantasy managers should continue to monitor his status as he could be placed on the injured list if the injury begins to linger. As a result, Miami will give catching duties to Liam Hicks. Hicks will bat in the seven-hole against Atlanta right-hander Grant Holmes. Through his first six games of the season, Fortes has held a solid .308/.357/.615 line with two doubles and a triple. Hicks enters Sunday riding a three-game hitting streak and could be a sneaky value option in DFS given that Holmes struggled in his first start of the campaign.

Miami Marlins catcher Nick Fortes (neck) was originally in the lineup for the Fish on Saturday night against AJ Smith-Shawver and the Braves, but he was removed before the game began due to neck stiffness. Fortes was batting ninth but will be replaced by Liam Hicks in that spot in the order and behind the plate. Hicks is just 2-for-14 (.143) in his five games with a walk and three strikeouts. He actually has a 50% hard-hit rate, per Statcast, but he has been hitting it hard right at people for the most part so far this season.

Miami Marlins catcher Nick Fortes exited Wednesday's Grapefruit League game versus the Nationals in the first inning after being struck in the groin by a foul ball. The 28-year-old is considered day-to-day, but fantasy managers relying on the veteran backstop would be wise to keep tabs on his status in the event anything changes. Right now, the former fourth-round draft pick is expected to be the Opening Day starter for the Marlins, with prospect Liam Hicks currently projected as his backup. Fortes doesn't have much fantasy appeal, but if Hicks were forced into a full-time role, he is a superb contact hitter and draws a ton of walks who would be an intriguing fantasy asset. The team also has their fourth-ranked prospect Agustin Ramirez waiting in the wings who profiles as a big-time power hitter and is also eligible at 1B on Yahoo were he to get thrust into the mix.

Miami Marlins catcher Nick Fortes went 3-for-3 with a homer, a walk, three runs, and three RBI in an 8-0 win over the New York Mets on Friday. Fortes turned in his best offensive performance of the season in the lopsided win over New York. The veteran catcher launched a three-run homer off of Mets starter Christian Scott in the second inning as part of a four-run frame for Miami. Overall, Fortes is hitting just .159 with two homers, seven runs, and eight RBI across 82 at-bats. He will look to stay hot moving forward, although he only had six homers in 294 at-bats in 2023, so don't expect frequent power displays from the 27-year-old.