After losing two outfielders to multi-week injuries, the Marlins dipped into free agency on Wednesday, agreeing to terms with veteran Austin Slater.
The nine-year veteran gives the team a right-handed bat to balance a lineup that’s heavy on left-handed hitters and a lineup that has generally been more effective against right-handers than left-handers. Slater, by contrast, is a career .267 hitter (.357 on base) against left-handers, compared with .227 (.311) against right-handers.
He also fills a roster spot that needed to be filled after the Marlins lost starter Kyle Stowers to a hamstring strain and backup Esteury Ruiz to an oblique injury.
Slater, 33, played his first 7 1/2 seasons with the Giants before spending the past 2 1/2 seasons with Cincinnati, Baltimore, the White Sox and Yankees. Last season, he played 51 games for the White Sox and then 14 for the Yankees, hitting .216 (.270 on base), with five homers and 13 RBI in 160 plate appearances.
His career numbers: .248 (.336 on base) with 45 homers and 184 RBI in 699 games and 1858 plate appearances. He’s 49 of 57 on stolen base attempts.
Slater, left-handed hitter Griffin Conine and right-handed hitter Heriberto Hernandez could split time in one outfield spot and at designated hitter. Slater also can back up starters Jakob Marsee and Owen Caissie.
Defensively, Slater has made 235 appearances in center field, 203 in left field, 187 in right field and 30 at first base.
A native of Jacksonville, Slater was an eight-round pick of the Giants, out of Stanford, in 2014. He was named after grandfather Ed Austin, who was mayor of Jacksonville from 1991 through 1995.
Slater signed a minor league contract with Detroit on Feb. 10 but was released, at his request, on Saturday after failing to win a major league job in spring training.
Stowers, the Marlins’ 2025 All Star representative, will miss three to four weeks and then be re-evaluated. The right-handed hitting Ruiz, who was likely going to be the Marlins’ backup center fielder, is expected to miss at least six weeks.
The Marlins’ 13 position players to start the season are Slater, the rookie Caissie (the starter in right field), Marsee (starter in center field), Xavier Edwards (starter at second base), Otto Lopez (starter at shortstop), Agustin Ramirez and Liam Hicks (the two catchers), Chris Morel (expected to be the primary first baseman), Graham Pauley and Connor Norby (who are battling for playing time at third base, DH and elsewhere), Hernandez (designated hitter and outfielder), Conine (can play outfield or first base and DH) and Javier Sanoja (ace utility man who can play practically everywhere).
The rotation, in order, will be Sandy Alcantara, Eury Perez, Max Meyer, Chris Paddack and Janson Junk.
Andrew Nardi and Micheal Peterson won the last two bullpen jobs and will join closer Peter Fairbanks and fellow right-handers Tyler Phillips, Calvin Faucher, Anthony Bender, Lake Bachar and left-hander John King in the bullpen.
The Marlins open the regular season at 7:10 p.m. Friday against Colorado at loanDepot Park.
This story was originally published March 24, 2026 at 5:00 PM.
Miami Herald
Barry Jackson has written for the Miami Herald since 1986 and has written the Florida Sports Buzz column since 2002.