Starling Marte Left Off Marlins' NLDS Roster vs. Braves with Hand Injury

The Miami Marlins announced Tuesday that injured center fielder Starling Marte will not be part of their National League Division Series roster.

"We weren't comfortable with what [Marte] was going to be able to do," Marlins manager Don Mattingly said, according to ESPN's Brad Doolittle.

Marte suffered a fractured fifth metacarpal in his left hand when he was hit by a pitch from Dan Winkler in Game 1 of the Marlins' National League Wild Card Series win over the Chicago Cubs.

The Marlins and Atlanta Braves will meet in Game 1 of the NLDS on Tuesday afternoon.

With Marte out, the 24-year-old Magneuris Sierra will start in center field and bat ninth.

Unlike Marte, Sierra doesn't have much big league experience. He has appeared in 110 regular-season games with the Marlins and St. Louis Cardinals since 2017, hitting .247 with zero home runs, 20 RBI and 12 stolen bases in 20 attempts.

Marte, 31, was acquired by the Marlins from the Arizona Diamondbacks at this season's trade deadline.

The Dominican Republic native was a 2016 All-Star and is a two-time Gold Glove Award winner who hit .281 with six homers, 27 RBI and 10 steals in 12 attempts in a league-high 61 games during the regular season.

He enjoyed a career year last season with the Pittsburgh Pirates, hitting .295 with 23 home runs and 82 RBI. In nine seasons, Marte owns a .287 average with 114 homers, 447 RBI and 591 runs in 1,014 games.

The absence of Marte is significant. He is a strong defender, batted second in all but one game for Miami and has the experience few others do on the young Marlins roster.

The NL East champion Braves entered the NLDS as significant favorites, and with Marte out of commission, their chances likely improved.

Slugger Jesus Aguilar will bat second for the Marlins in Game 1, and there will be increased pressure on leadoff hitter Jon Berti to set the table for the rest of the lineup as well.