MIAMI, FL — The final stage of Kyle Stowers‘ recovery from a right hamstring strain begins Friday night when he is scheduled to play his first minor league rehab game with Triple-A Jacksonville. Stowers left Miami on Thursday afternoon to meet up with the Jumbo Shrimp in Norfolk, Virginia, where they’re in the middle of a series against the Baltimore Orioles’ AAA affiliate.

Even with their All-Star-caliber hitters like Stowers, the Marlins value positional flexibility. The 28-year-old outfielder was seen earlier this week participating in defensive drills at first base, an experiment which has been in the works since November, according to Marlins manager Clayton McCullough.

“Kyle potentially had a skill set to maybe do that,” McCullough said regarding the idea to develop Stowers at the position. “It wasn’t about this being a full-time first base and we’re looking to transition. I think over the course of the year, it’s something that you can pull off, and it’s a day to get you off your feet a little bit. A different type of workload over there within a game.”

Stowers has never played first base in the minor or major leagues, though he totaled 23 games of experience as a college player during the summers of 2017 and 2018. The Marlins mainly used him in left field last season, where he had two defensive runs saved and five outfield assists. He was named a National League Gold Glove finalist at the position.

First base has generally been a weakness for the Marlins throughout the past few seasons. They signed free agent Christopher Morel to be their main option there entering 2026, but on Opening Day as Morel was taking batting practice, he suffered a left oblique strain, knocking him out for 4-6 weeks. He is currently in Jupiter progressing and taking part in baseball activities.

In the absences of Stowers and Morel, Connor Norby has received most of the playing time at first. Through 11 games, Norby is slashing .206/.357/.353/.710 with one home run and two RBI. Liam Hicks is off to an incredibly hot start, but his primary position is catcher.

The Marlins have gotten good offensive contributions from outfielders Griffin Conine, Jakob Marsee and Owen Caissie against right-handed pitching. Stowers being able to handle first would open the possibility for him to share a lineup with Hicks, Conine, Marsee and Caissie later this season.

“I want to keep Kyle in games,” McCullough said. “We have some really good outfielders that I think would help us. It’s a way that it can maybe keep him in games as well.”

This rehab assignment is expected to be longer than usual. Stowers originally injured his hamstring very early in spring training, then re-aggravated it on March 20 in West Palm Beach against the Houston Astros. Although it was diagnosed as a minor (Grade 1) strain, he needs time to get his timing right and his physical conditioning up to major league standards. Barring setbacks, he should be reinstated from the IL during the week of April 20.