Both Kyle Stowers again Esteury Ruiz left the Marlins’ Grapefruit League games on Friday with injuries, with Stowers out with a strained right hamstring and Ruiz out with a left oblique strain. Manager Clayton McCullough updated the media (including MLB.com’s Christina De Nicola) on the situation after the game, and today he had no new information on the results of the imaging tests on either player.
Stowers was dealing with what McCullough described three weeks ago as “very young“A strain in that same right hamstring, and the Marlins demoted the outfielder to live batting practice sessions instead of a game. Friday marked the sixth game of Stowers Spring Training, and he didn’t play at all for two weeks from the end of February until he returned to the field on March 14. On Friday, Stowers collected two plate appearances for the first time in the third.
While Stowers was playing in the varsity game against the Astros, Ruiz was playing in the other half of Miami’s lineup against the Nationals, and Ruiz also left in the third inning after swinging a foul ball. Given that Ruiz’s injury has already been diagnosed as a serious one, there should be very little pressure on the outfielder to avoid long-term IL, as minor oblique issues usually lead to at least a few weeks on the sidelines.
Ruiz was acquired from the Dodgers in a trade in December, and the fastballer is looking to win a spot on the Marlins’ bench. After leading the AL with 67 stolen bases for the A’s in 2023, Ruiz appeared in just 48 Major League games with the Athletics and Dodgers, due to a lack of hitting and knee problems. A big Triple-A performance in 2025 perhaps shows that Ruiz has turned something on at the plate, even though he didn’t hit much in a small sample of 41 plate appearances in Miami camp.
If Ruiz’s injury only affects the back end of the Marlins’ bench, the loss of Stowers could have a huge impact on Miami’s season. Stowers is coming off an All-Star season that saw him hit .288/.368/.544 with 25 home runs over 457 PA, but (ironically, given Ruiz’s status) Stowers’ breakout year was ended by an oblique strain in mid-August. Considering how the 78-83 Marlins finished just four games back of the Reds for the last NL wild card spot, it’s a stretch to suggest that losing Stowers could cost the Fish a trip to the playoffs.
Should Stowers start in 2026 on a 10-day IL, Javier Sanoja, Heriberto Hernandezor maybe Christopher Morel (scheduled now as a first baseman) or Connor Norby (a longtime outfielder) could all fill in for Stowers in left field. The Marlins are thin on other outfield options on their 40-man roster, so if a prospect can be added to the 40-man, Miami could also explore the trade or free agent market for outside help as teams continue to make their cuts late in camp.
