Marlins' Realmuto will begin season on DL with back contusion

The lone Miami Marlins star to escape the team's winter fire sale won't be ready for Opening Day.

Catcher J.T. Realmuto will begin his season on the 10-day disabled list with a lower back contusion, according to Joe Frisaro of MLB.com. It's not clear when he may be ready to return.

Realmuto suffered the injury in a collision at second base during a Grapefruit League game on March 11. He's been playing some catch lately, but hasn't swung a bat since getting hurt.

"We're not going to rush him at all, and give him every ounce of time that he needs, so that when he comes back he can be reinserted and perform at the level we're used to," Marlins president of baseball operations Michael Hill said Tuesday. "It's a bone bruise and we can't rush him to heal."

The 27-year-old played in 141 games for the Marlins last season, hitting .278/.332/.451 with 17 homers, 65 RBIs, and eight stolen bases. He caught 25 would-be base-stealers in 2017, ranking third among all National League catchers. Realmuto, who was defeated by the team in arbitration, asked for a trade this winter amid the Marlins' offseason purge.

In his absence, the Marlins will carry three catchers - Tomas Telis, Bryan Holaday, and Chad Wallach, the son of Marlins bench coach Tim Wallach - on their Opening Day roster, according to Frisaro.