Marlins All-Star Returns from Injury for Quick Ramp-up to Opening Day

For weeks, caution has been the watch word for Miami Marlins outfielder Kyle Stowers’ right hamstring. Now, he’s back — with some training wheels.

Stowers appeared in a spring training game on Saturday for the first time since Feb. 26 as he started in left field and played half of the game for Miami in a 7-7 tie with the St. Louis Cardinals.

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It’s a big moment for Stowers and his recovery, as Miami is 12 days away from opening day at home against the Colorado Rockies on March 27. The All-Star is hoping he’ll be ready to play. He was diagnosed with a minor hamstring injury after three spring training games.

Kyle Stowers’ Spring Training Return

The plan was for Stowers to play about half of the game. Miami batted him at the top of the order to help him maximize at-bats before his exit. He went 0-for-2 with a walk. He lined out in the first inning, walked in the third inning and grounded out in the fifth inning. He was taken out of the game in the sixth and replaced by Ian Lewis Jr.

It’s typical for players to leave the game in the middle of the contest when recovering from an injury. But his return is a significant boost for a team hoping to contend for a playoff berth in 2026 and seeking a good start to the season.

. He emerged as one of the best hitters on the team last season as he claimed his first National League All Star game berth. He slashed .288/.368/.544 with 25 home runs and 73 RBI. During the season he became the first Marlin in nearly a decade to be named the National League Player of the Month.

In July, he slashed .364/.451/.818 with 16 runs, five doubles, 10 home runs, and 20 RBI.

Notably, in 2025 Stowers had a weighted on-base average, or wOBA, was .386, which would have been seventh-best in baseball had he not missed the final weeks of the season with an injury. He would have ranked behind New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge, Los Angeles Dodgers DH Shohei Ohtani, Arizona Diamondbacks second baseman Ketel Marte, Philadelphia Phillies DH Kyle Schwarber, Dodgers catcher Will Smith and Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh.

He’s found a home in Miami after he was up-and-down with the Baltimore Orioles since he made his Major League debut in 2022. One of the top outfield prospects in the system, he could never get a foothold on the Major League roster due to the players in front of him. At the 2024 trade deadline, the Orioles traded him and second baseman Connor Norby for left-handed starting pitcher Trevor Rogers.