Xavier Edwards was swinging the bat sweetly before he landed on the injured list with a left mid-back strain almost three weeks ago.

The Miami Marlins’ leadoff man picked up Sunday where he left off.

In his first game in the starting lineup since being reinstated Saturday, Edwards matched a franchise record with a career-best five hits (5 for 5) in the Marlins’ 4-2 loss to the Giants at loanDepot park. He also drove in a run and scored another.

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“Swinging at good pitches, keeping the ball low,” Edwards said. “Two things I was focused on today in the cage.”

Edwards said he had a “different mind-set,” adding that his time on the IL allowed him to return “clear-headed.”

Said Marlins’ manager Clayton McCullough: “Four of the five hits were stung well. He got pitches in areas that were advantageous for him and the directness and crispness of the path were great today.”

Edwards was 10 for 32 (.313) during an eight-game hitting streak prior to his 13 games on the injured list and 0 for 1 as a pinch-hitter Saturday.

The right side of the Marlins’ infield featured a new look in Sunday’s series finale, with Edwards manning second base, making his first start there since July 21 of last season, and catcher Liam Hicks, using Eric Wagaman’s glove, playing first base for the first time in the majors.

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Edwards said he learned he would be switching from shortstop when McCullough called him prior to his rehab games in Atlanta, and he was “good” with the change.

“That’s where I spent most of my minor-league career, so it’s home for me,” Edwards said.

While the Marlins view Edwards’ move as permanent, Hicks is expected to continue splitting time behind the plate with fellow rookie Agustín Ramírez and Nick Fortes and get some starts at designated hitter, in addition to platooning with Wagaman at first.

“I want to do whatever it takes to get in the lineup,” Hicks said before the game. “So if they’re giving me an opportunity to play first, I’m going to run with it and try to be the best I can be over there and make sure I can be in the lineup as much as possible.”

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In the third inning, Hicks collided with Matt Chapman while tagging Chapman after Connor Norby’s throw from across the diamond drew Hicks’ foot off the bag. In the eighth, shortstop Otto Lopez, Edwards and Hicks cleanly executed a double play.

Before Sunday, Hicks had last played first base in Double A about a year ago. He said positioning and footwork would be the keys to regaining comfort there and credits Wagaman for helping “a lot” with both.

“We’ve been over there taking [ground balls] at the same time,” Hicks said. “He’s given me some tips with positioning, foot placement on the bag, just some things you’re not that familiar with.”

Marlins’ first base and infield coach Tyler Smarslok said Hicks received about a week and a half of pregame work at first base leading up to Sunday.

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“He moves his feet really well. He’s got really good hands. He’s got the catcher hands that can really work short hops,” Smarslok said.

“It was nice for him to get out there,” McCullough said after Sunday’s game. “Hopefully he feels more comfortable over there now getting a game rep under his belt and it’s a way for us to be able to have Liam get some opportunities in the lineup.”

▪ Marlins’ starter Ryan Weathers allowed four runs and five hits through six innings. He struck out seven and walked three.

With two outs in the fourth, Luis Matos clubbed an 86-mph changeup from Weathers 390 feet to left center for a three-run home run.

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“Obviously the changeup hurt me, but the two [at-bats] before that are really what killed me,” Weathers said. “My heater was probably the best it’s been all year today. Breaking ball was landing really well. I threw a couple of hard sliders really good. Changeup was really good.

“It was one of those outings where you leave it going ‘Man, this kind of sucks with the stuff I had today.’ All three of the walks were bad walks, and then obviously the pitch that broke my back was the three-run homer.”

▪ A day after crashing hard into the center-field wall making a catch, Dane Myers said he felt fine physically. He pinch-hit for Hicks in the eighth inning.