Dee Gordon will return to the big leagues on Thursday, and you're allowed to have mixed feelings about that.
On the one hand, the Miami Marlins second baseman served his time—an 80-game suspension under MLB's performance-enhancing drug policy.
On the other hand, the icky emotions associated with Gordon's positive PED test—which revealed testosterone and the synthetic steroid clostebol—won't simply evaporate.
He is a reminder that PEDs still permeate the game nearly nine years after the release of the infamous Mitchell Report. His past accomplishments are tainted; his future exploits are dipped in suspicion.
Still, it must be said: Gordon's comeback will almost surely help the Marlins' push for the postseason.
It's not every year a club adds the defending National League batting champion in late July without surrendering a single trade chip.
Entering play on Wednesday, Miami sits at 54-46, a half-game up on the New York Mets for the NL's second wild-card slot.
If the Marlins reach the playoffs, Gordon will be ineligible under the tougher PED penalties MLB instituted in 2014. For the stretch run, however, he can provide a measurable boost.
"He could be even more of a lightning rod for us," manager Don Mattingly said of Gordon, per MLB.com's Patrick Pinak. "Our issue isn't getting on base, it's scoring runs."
Sure enough, the Marlins enter play on Wednesday tied for sixth in the Senior Circuit in OBP, but they rank 11th in runs scored.
And Miami ranks 12th in the NL with 33 stolen bases, six of which Gordon swiped before his suspension.
Tack on all the PED asterisks you want. Gordon's .333/.359/.418 slash line from last year jumps off the stat sheet, as do his MLB-leading 205 hits and 58 stolen bases.
How much of that was chemically inflated? It's impossible to say.
But Gordon enjoyed an All-Star season in 2014 with the Los Angeles Dodgers at age 26, and he has flashed superlative speed since he broke into the big leagues in 2011.
Cynics delight in pointing out that Gordon's PED suspension coincided with Barry Bonds' first year as the Marlins' hitting coach. But the notion that Bonds arrived in the Sunshine State and introduced Gordon to steroids as his first order of business is somewhere between implausible and absurd.
Beyond that, the timeline is murky. We won't know what the post-suspension Gordon looks like until we see him in the batter's box and on the basepaths.
Let's assume, though, that he's even a shadow of the man we watched last season. If so, he's a weapon.
For what it's worth, he's been strong in his minor league stint, per MLB.com's Joe Frisaro:
On July 18, Mattingly said Gordon's return would be "more of a blend than just a throw him into the fire," per Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald.
It helps that Derek Dietrich, Gordon's replacement at second, owns a .272/.363/.756 slash line with 30 RBI.
"I wouldn’t feel cheated," Dietrich said of ceding playing time to Gordon, per Spencer.
Interesting choice of words.
The Marlins have a cache of dangerous young hitters, highlighted by an outfield of All-Star Marcell Ozuna, super-slugger Giancarlo Stanton and red-hot Christian Yelich.
Add ace Jose Fernandez, and you've got the makings of a rising power.
There's always the question of how long this will last in South Beach, particularly under the leadership of polarizing, blow-it-up owner Jeffrey Loria.
Yet here Miami sits, in the thick of the October hunt, laden with up-and-comers and about to get one of the more dynamic players in the game back, warts and all.
The Fish are reportedly angling for deadline reinforcements, particularly in the starting rotation, and have recently expressed interest New York Yankees right-hander Ivan Nova, per Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News.
The trouble is, Miami has a relatively barren farm system, which Bleacher Report's Joel Reuter ranked No. 26 in baseball. In a seller's market, the Marlins could be squeezed out.
Mattingly must be careful, using Gordon strategically with the understanding that he'll need an alternate second baseman and leadoff hitter come playoff time, if and when that time comes. It's an odd predicament, fraught with pitfalls and potential second-guessing.
"We've talked," Mattingly said, per the Miami Herald's Barry Jackson. "Whenever Dee comes back, we'll just continue to be creative and keep everybody sharp."
Easier said than done.
For now, here's what we know: Gordon is about to return to the big leagues. He's going to be a factor. You're allowed to have mixed feelings about that.
But Marlins boosters are permitted to celebrate, or at least quietly hope.
Much like positive PED tests, memories of great seasons don't simply evaporate.
All statistics current as of July 26 and courtesy of MLB.com and Baseball-Reference.com unless otherwise noted.
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