MIAMI — Two hours prior to the first pitch of the 2026 season, the Miami Marlins announced Christopher Morel strained his left oblique and was scratched from the starting lineup. After the Marlins’ 2-1 win, manager Clayton McCullough said Morel would go through more imaging on Saturday.

Morel signed with the Marlins over the offseason on a one-year, $2 million deal. The 26-year-old was slated to get a bulk of his reps at first base, a position he had never played in the majors. He mostly played all three outfield spots, along with second base, third, and shortstop in his four years with the Chicago Cubs and Tampa Bay Rays.

The Marlins ran into injury troubles in the final week of spring training, losing outfielders Kyle Stowers (right hamstring strain) and Esteury Ruiz (left oblique strain) on the same night.

The Marlins have preached defensive versatility for years, but even more so under second-year manager Clayton McCullough. Whoever gets slotted into first base will have had experience there in the regular season or this most recent iteration of spring training.

Here’s how that spot can be filled:

 

Connor Norby

This is the natural place to start. In a pinch, Norby was slotted into the first base spot Friday after Morel was scratched. He made a few moderately-challenging plays, including stretching out for a wide throw from catcher Agustin Ramirez and a pop out along the wall in foul territory.

Originally a third baseman his first two years in Miami, Norby got reps in the outfield and first base this spring. During McCullough’s pregame media availability Friday—before Morel’s injury was announced—he said Norby would see “quite a bit of action” at first base.

 

Liam Hicks

The Marlins carried three catchers on their roster for a few months last year, with Hicks, veteran Nick Fortes, and highly-rated prospect Agustín Ramírez all vying for playing time. 

Hicks was able to stay in the lineup by playing 28 games at first base, racking up one out above average, according to Baseball Savant.

Side note on another catcher that some fans have asked to go to first base: the Marlins have made it very clear that Ramírez will continue getting reps as a catcher only.

 

Deyvison De Los Santos

De Los Santos is currently the only member of the 40-man roster who considers first base his natural position. Promoting him would be an easy choice, albeit a controversial one as he has more to prove in the minors.

The right-handed power hitter Miami got in a trade from the Arizona Diamondbacks raised his walk rate from 5.2% in 2024 to 8.1% in 2025, his highest in his Triple-A career. But his power still hasn’t adjusted to playing at sea level. Even in the pitcher-friendly International League he plays in now, his slugging percentage of .363 last season was paltry.

On Friday’s opening game for Jacksonville De Los Santos went 2-for-4 with a home run and a walk.

Should De Los Santos remain in Jacksonville for the near future, the Marlins would still need to call up a position player of some kind to fill Morel’s spot on the active roster.