Marlins' Jose Fernandez to get stiff right shoulder examined

— -- In another lost season for the Miami Marlins, one of the few bright spots has been the return of starting pitcher Jose Fernandez, however his immediate future may be in question after leaving Friday night's start after just 76 pitches.

Fernandez left the game with stiffness in his right shoulder and manager Dan Jennings said the 23-year-old ace has left the team's four-game road trip in Atlanta to get examined.

"He has flown back to Miami to see Dr. [Lee] Kaplan," Jennings said. "He has right shoulder stiffness, so he's going to go see Dr. Kaplan. After Dr. Kaplan assesses that ... we'll know from there what we're talking about."

"There was a little discomfort there. Here's a guy who is coming off a 14-month rehab from Tommy John," Jennings said. "As we would do with any pitcher, we're going to make sure before we run him out there.

"When he had the shoulder stiffness, the decision was made to get him to Miami and have a look."

Fernandez, the 2013 National League Rookie of the Year, had Tommy John surgery last season and returned to the team July 2. In seven starts this season, Fernandez is 4-0 with a 2.30 ERA and 53 strikeouts. This season he has averaged 91 pitches per start, but threw a season-high 112 pitches in the start preceding his Friday night appearance.