Marlins sign former Yankees, Giants outfielder as Kyle Stowers replacement originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Miami Marlins All-Star outfielder Kyle Stowers will not be ready for Opening Day after suffering a Grade 1 right hamstring strain.
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Stowers’ injury will take approximately three to four weeks to heal, meaning the Marlins were incentivized to quickly find a replacement.
Outfielders Jakob Marsee, Owen Caissie, and Griffin Conine all bat from the left side, so it was in Miami’s best interest to find a right-handed bat.
According to Craig Mish of SportsGrid, veteran outfielder Austin Slater has signed a Major League deal with the NL East club. The 33-year-old split last season with the Chicago White Sox and New York Yankees.
Marlins agree to deal with Slater
Slater made his debut in 2017 with the San Francisco Giants, spending parts of eight seasons there before stops with the Cincinnati Reds and Baltimore Orioles in 2024.
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He fares much better against lefties than righties, hitting 30 of his 45 career home runs against southpaws. Slater’s .267 average against left-handers is 40 points higher than his mark against righties, meaning he could start or pinch hit in situations that call for a righty masher.
The Marlins want to weather the storm while Stowers is out, and there are a lot worse options than bringing in a veteran who posted a .856 OPS with five walks in 36 trips to the plate in spring training with the Detroit Tigers.
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