Highly Anticipated Marlins Slugger’s MLB Debut is Short-Lived After Option

The Miami Marlins only needed one day of Deyvison De Los Santos before he was optioned back to Triple-A. But it’s likely not about quality of play.

Miami Marlins first baseman Deyvison de Los Santos. | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

For one day, Deyvison De Los Santos was a Major League Baseball player. He likely will be again one day.

For now, he’s back at Triple-A.

The Marlins optioned the 22-year-old slugger back to Jacksonville, a move designed to clear space for infielder Leo Jiménez on the 26-man roster. The Marlins acquired him on Sunday in a trade with the Toronto Blue Jays, where they shipped shortstop prospect Dub Gleed and future considerations.

Jiménez is more likely to help the Marlins right now, who are still working to arrange pieces after the injury to Christopher Morel. De Los Santos was a stopgap for a day, but one that is likely to return sometime in 2026.

Deyvison De Los Santos’ MLB Debut

We’ve made the following roster moves: pic.twitter.com/FYCc8BPpNV

— Miami Marlins (@Marlins) March 30, 2026

De Los Santos debuted on Sunday and played first base the position Morel was supposed to man before he suffered an oblique injury before the season opener. He’s expected to be out for at least four-to-six weeks.

He got his first MLB hit in his debut, going 1-for-2 before Liam Hicks pinch-hit for him. So, why not keep him with the Major League club after a solid debut?

Miami has two big needs due to injury. One is left field, where Kyle Stowers is out for the next few weeks after a Grade 1 hamstring injury. The other is first base.

The Marlins have enough coverage in left field to do without Stowers for a few weeks. On Sunday, for example, Miami started Heriberto Hernández in left. He also took the start in the opener. Griffin Conine was the starter in left field in the middle game.

Connor Norby, who has been a defensive liability at third base, took first base in the season opener and the follow-up, followed by De Los Santos. The latter has more experience in the minor leagues at first base than Norby. De Los Santos has played 244 games at the position, with 267 at third base, which is seen as his best position. Norby didn’t play a single game at first base in the minor leagues, but his bat is valued.

But so is De Los Santos’ bat. He jumped onto everyone’s radar in 2024 when he slammed 40 home runs and drove in 120 RBI for three affiliates in the Marlins’ system. He followed that up with a 12-home run, 54 RBI season in 2025 in which his batting average dropped 54 points.

It’s highly likely Miami just wants to see more at-bats from De Los Santos at Triple-A, with the success he had two years ago, before giving him another shot in the Majors. For now, he’ll wait. But now that he has a taste, it’s even more likely he’ll get another shot.