MIAMI — The Marlins placed outfielder Kyle Stowers on the 10-day injured list with a left hamstring strain, sidelining one of the National League’s hottest hitters as the club sits 3 1/2 games behind the Diamondbacks and Phillies for a Wild Card spot.
Stowers, who had posted 13 homers, an .867 OPS and 41 RBIs in 57 games since June 1, exited Sunday’s game after hitting a two-run single in the fifth inning. He came up limping after rounding first base.
“It was some point either right after I rounded the base or as I was rounding the base, stepping on the gas pedal to go for a double,” Stowers said Tuesday. “And at some point around the base, I just felt it grab. It’s kind of just one of those things for me having again gone through it, just wasn’t a ton of ambiguity in what it was from my perspective. So, kind of knew right away that it was a strain. Just frustrating.”
The injury is a familiar one for Stowers, who dealt with a Grade 1 hamstring strain twice during Spring Training and started the season on the 10-day IL. He made his season debut April 19 after a five-game rehab assignment with Triple-A Jacksonville, working on a 3-4-week timetable. Last season, a first-time All-Star selection, Stowers sustained a season-ending oblique injury.
“No good time for them,” Stowers said of injuries. “I know that this team is more than capable of winning ballgames and staying in the hunt. Obviously, I want to be out there really bad, and it’s a bummer that I won’t be for a little bit. But there’s so many good players here, and we are more than capable of keeping this thing going.”
Stowers had converted to first base since mid-June to keep the bats of Heriberto Hernández, Griffin Conine, Owen Caissie and Liam Hicks in the lineup while preserving his legs. With Hicks dealt to the Rays at the trade deadline, the Marlins recalled Graham Pauley from Triple-A Jacksonville as the corresponding roster move. Conine started at first base Tuesday against the Pirates, while Leo Jiménez and Agustín Ramírez will also rotate at the position. Esteury Ruiz, who started in right field, and Jiménez should see increased playing time, and the designated hitter spot opens additional at-bats for Ramírez.
“It’s going to be a chance for others to get some opportunity to go,” manager Clayton McCullough said. “Graham’s a very talented defender, and certainly can see Graham coming into some games if he doesn’t start, if we have a lead late to shore up some of the defense with some of the less experienced guys over there getting some starts.”
Based on Stowers’ Spring Training recovery timeline of 3-4 weeks, the Marlins could have him back for the final push in September as they chase their first postseason berth since last year’s late-season run, when the club stayed in contention until the final week despite Stowers’ absence.