Miami Marlins right-hander Sandy Alcantara was once one of the most dominant starters in the game. In fact, it was only 2022 when he won the NL Cy Young. Since then, however, Alcantara has struggled to stay healthy, undergoing Tommy John in 2023, which sidelined him for the entire 2024 campaign.

But after a 16-month absence, the Dominican is ready to roll. Speaking at the Marlins' media day on Friday, Alcantara expressed excitement for his return, with spring training right around the corner.

Via The Miami Herald:

“Everything feels great,” Alcantara said. “My arm is good. I can’t wait to be out there.”

Alcantara threw live BP back in September before the season finished and he was hitting 99 mph with his fastball, already showing the Marlins that his old stuff is still there. Surgery took place in October of '23.

“It was the same as when I was a normal person,” Alcantara said. “Nonstop working every day and trying to get better.”

Alcantara revealed he felt very frustrated having to watch from the sidelines last year, especially because the Marlins had such an underwhelming season:

“It was very bad, just being able to watch the games” Alcantara said. “I wasn’t able to compete, and I felt so bad. But right now I just got, I think, positive. … I was waiting too long to be back, and now I’m here.”

The 29-year-old made 28 starts in '23, posting a 7-12 record and 4.14 ERA. That was considered terrible to his standards after going 14-9 with a 2.28 ERA the season prior en route to the Cy Young. The Marlins know exactly what the righty brings to the table and they expect him to be back to his dominant self with time:

“He’s our horse,” starting pitcher Ryan Weathers said. “He’s a machine. He’s 98-100 [mph] every pitch with a good changeup and good breaking ball. Just excited to watch him get going.”

“Getting Sandy back is a big boost. That’s a great place to start,” said skipper Clayton McCollough.

Alcantara voiced that his No. 1 goal is to pitch deep into games, but he knows the innings will be monitored at the beginning:

“But after that,” Alcantara said, “they’ve gotta let me compete. I think the work that I’ve been doing, my preparation, I know that I’ve been [recovering] from surgery, but that doesn’t matter to me. I’ve just gotta give my 100 percent.”

If the Marlins can get the signature Alcantara back, it's going to do wonders for the top end of their rotation.