Marlins Set to Activate Kyle Stowers for Season Debut on Sunday

The Miami Marlins are poised for a significant offensive enhancement as they prepare to activate Kyle Stowers from the injured list on Sunday. This move will mark the All-Star outfielder’s season debut after he has been sidelined due to a hamstring strain.

Manager Clayton McCullough confirmed before Saturday’s matchup against the Milwaukee Brewers that Stowers, who was present at the ballpark, is fully prepared to make his return. “Everything from the rehab checked out,” McCullough stated. “He continued to check the necessary boxes. I think certainly there was a physical component with how he felt, how the hamstring was.”

Stowers, who suffered a right hamstring strain during spring training, has successfully completed five rehab appearances with Triple-A Jacksonville, including games on Thursday and Friday. McCullough noted, “He got back-to-back, nine-inning games. I think he came out of that feeling like he’s in a really good spot physically. Also, I think mentally now he feels like, ‘OK, I’m kind of over this.’”

Last season, Stowers experienced a breakout year, achieving career highs with 115 hits, 25 home runs, and 73 RBIs over 117 games. His performance earned him his first All-Star nod before a left oblique strain curtailed his season’s final stretch. Prior to his success, Stowers had been oscillating between Triple-A Norfolk and Baltimore, where he was drafted in the second round of the 2019 amateur draft, struggling to solidify his place in the majors.

After being traded to Miami, he initially faced challenges, batting just .186 in his first 50 games. However, last season marked a turning point for him, beginning with a clutch performance on opening day where he singled in the winning run against Paul Skenes and the Pittsburgh Pirates. Stowers led the Marlins in home runs and RBIs, becoming the first Miami outfielder to earn an NL All-Star selection since Marcell Ozuna and Giancarlo Stanton in 2017.

Currently, the Marlins sit at 9-11, positioned second in the NL East behind the Atlanta Braves (13-7) as they aim to build on last year’s unexpected 79-83 record. They rank sixth in the league for total hits (171), 11th in runs (93), and 10th in RBIs (90). McCullough commented on Stowers’ return, stating, “Getting Kyle back in the lineup will really be a nice boost to help lengthen some things out. And then also, Kyle is a really steady teammate. A lot of guys lean on him. He’s not usually too up and down. I think he handles things in stride very well. And a lot of that probably is due to just his path of getting here. He’s been knocked down a lot, but he keeps getting up.”

Note: This recap is an independently written summary based on publicly available reporting.