Marlins’ outfielder Kyle Stowers is nearing a return, according to MLB.com’s Christina De Nicola. Stowers will begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp this Friday. The 28-year-old enjoyed a breakout 2025 after cracking 25 homers, and his 149 wRC+ (a ballpark-adjusted measure of total offensive production that indicates he was 49% better than a league-average hitter) ranked 8th among all batters with a minimum of 450 PAs.
Stowers, who primarily split time between the corner outfield spots last year, has begun taking first base drills in addition to his usual outfield work. While manager Clayton McCullough didn’t commit to using Stowers there, he called it “a possibility” that the Fish could occasionally get him first base work in games. Coming off a Grade-1 hamstring injury, the Marlins will be keen to protect their star hitter’s health and address the void at 1B in the wake of Christopher Morel’s oblique injury.
In Morel’s absence, the Marlins have Frankensteined a first baseman, primarily out of Connor Norby and contributions from Liam Hicks, Graham Pauley, and prospect Deyvison De Los Santos. Although the early returns have been positive, there are some roster advantages to having Stowers at first. While Stowers has not donned a first base mitt professionally at any level, the Marlins have a glut of outfield options with Jakob Marsee, Owen Caissie, Heriberto Hernandez, Griffin Conine, and Austin Slater on the active roster. Playing Stowers at first base also gives them the option to insert an extra left-hander into the lineup alongside Griffin, Marsee, and Caissie, and despite being a finalist for the 2025 left field Gold Glove, advanced defensive metrics like DRS (1) and FRV (0) value Stowers’ contributions as neutral/average (in Stowers’ defense, none of the other Marlins’ outfielders are pushing him out of left with their defensive production to this point).
However, not all the health news coming out of Miami is positive: Conine exited Thursday’s game against the Reds with left hamstring discomfort, McCullough told reporters (including Kevin Barral of Fish on First). Conine has been hot in the early going with a .300/.390/.650 triple-slash with a pair of homers and steals, good for a 188 wRC+ (88% better offensive production than league average), but he may have an IL trip ahead of him. Barral also notes that De Los Santos was pulled from the Jacksonville lineup mid-game as a possible precursor to a corresponding move (should Conine’s injury warrant an IL trip). De Los Santos, who profiles as an aggressive, power-over-hit batter, should be in the mix for first base starts alongside fellow righty hitter Connor Norby while the Marlins continue to weigh their options at first and in the outfield.
That was a rough day in the outfield for a Myers too.
I have it on good authority that after a good bit of time spent in cold water, that the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp are not Jumbo but are really Pretty Shrimpy.
I see you’re a new writer here, Drew. Congratulations on the job! I would like to save you some time in your writing, this site has been using wRC for a couple of years now, so you don’t have to explain it in your articles. Everyone who visits here pretty much gets it by this point. This is meant to be well-intentioned btw, hopefully it comes off as such
Thank you that’s mighty kind!! 🙂 We’re writing to a large baseball audience, so we never know who may be reading; if I get a chance to impart some new knowledge, all the better!
Well-Intentioned advice: Once you say “everyone”, your point is always diminished unless there is data behind it.
Similar to your response
Ok dixon, unfortunately there’s no way to get data on that, but I had noticed other writers (who’ve been here a while) don’t explain it and nobody in the comments complains. Therefore, you can assume that most people understand the stat
Welcome Drew!
Thank you! Appreciate your support!
For the fish fans how does Conine look? Like Marlins fans, as an Os fan, i was a huge fan of Jeff Conine. He was kinda unique though
As a prospect, not a lot of Fanfare after the Fish acquired him from Toronto. When he has had the chance to hit (he’ been injured pretty often), he looks more like a three-true-outcomes player but still some ability to make contact, as well as a great arm for a RF and a solid glove.
I’d say his floor is a bench platoon corner OF, his ceiling can be another Kyle Stowers for the Marlins… but that might be a long shot. Perhaps a 15-20 HR player if you give him 400 ABs is the most realistic scenario.
But today, he is a solid player who should get regular ABs this season, particularly because Stowers is still out. Once he’s back in the lineup, Conine should take the lion’s share of RF reps.
You think Conine will get ABs over Caissie?
Cassie has a much much higher ceiling the Jeff Conines boy.
Griffin is an excellent 4th OF n defensive replacement for Cassie or when Stowers plays OF while he still recovering from the hammy
Conine over Caissie in RF? You’re dreaming, Jeff.
@kevnames42 @MRSHOWTIME @gulfoflexapro once Stowers joins the team, in theory, he’ll take over LF, unless the team commits him to 1B but remains to be seen.
So yes, Caissie is the better prospect but, is he a better defender than Conine? Does he have a stronger arm than Conine?
What I see coming is a good problem to have: rotate RF between Conine and Caissie, and also DH between them two plus Gus and Hicks.
In any case, looks like Griffin is due to the IL so the problem is solved for now, but there will be a day that somebody will have to be sent down.
Conine is always due for the IL. He’s 29 and has less than 300 plate appearances. He’s not a prospect.
True and true, but less than 300 ABs also means he hasn’t shown what he’s capable of. Well, I guess for now Caissie will own RF (and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that).
Thanks for the breakdown. One thing I remember about Jeff was his ability to spray line drives all over the field. That really gave him success. Im rooting for the kid!
Marlins should plan on just making Stowers the full time 1B going forward. The Christopher Morel experiment was doomed to failure from the start.