"Jay Buente's run in the Marlins' starting rotation came to an abrupt end Tuesday, but the questions over the health of Josh Johnson's throwing shoulder did not.

Buente, who lasted just three innings against the Rays on Sunday and was scheduled to start Saturday against the Dodgers, was designated for assignment and replaced by right-handed reliever Steve Cishek, who was recalled from Triple A New Orleans.

So who will start in place of Buente? All of that depends on how Johnson's right shoulder reacts Wednesday after he plays catch for the first time in five days. Johnson, who was placed on the disabled list retroactive to his last start May 17, was hopeful he would be available to pitch June 1.

But it appears the Marlins could be on the verge of now taking a more cautious approach.

"Replacing JJ is not an easy task," Marlins manager Edwin Rodriguez said. "[Saturday] might be a bullpen day, [the starter] might be a guy down in the minor leagues.

"I think it all depends on J.J. We'll see if he's able to get ready for June 1. Right now, we don't have a word on how JJ is doing because he hasn't thrown yet. It all depends on how J.J. recovers."

Johnson, who made the trip with the Marlins to San Francisco, said his shoulder "feels a lot better than it did before.'' But asked if he was still targeting June 1, he said, "I'm not really targeting anything.''

"I just want to get it healthy and ready to go, ready to go for the long haul,'' Johnson said. "It's not a reach [I could pitch June 1]. But we're going to make sure it's totally gone before we get it ramped up.''

The Marlins could opt to start long reliever Burke Badenhop, who is 2-3 with a 6.95 ERA in 10 career major-league starts. Or, they could dip down into their system and take right-hander Tom Koehler, who is 5-0 with a 2.92 ERA for Triple A New Orleans."