Kyle Stowers leaves blowout victory with hamstring discomfort

MIAMI, Fla. — With the Miami Marlins well on their way to securing a victory on Sunday, the vibes suddenly shifted after an injury to first baseman Kyle Stowers.

Stowers extended the club's lead to 10-2 with a hit in the fifth inning, but after taking a turn around first base, he ran back to the bag and grimaced before briefly grabbing his left hamstring. Visibly frustrated, he gingerly walked off the field.

The Marlins announced it as left hamstring discomfort. He will undergo further tests before the club decides whether to place him on the injured list, manager Clayton McCullough said postgame.

Potential left hamstring injury for Kyle Stowers based on his reaction here.

He missed the beginning of this season with a right hamstring strain. pic.twitter.com/shHNk4KmVQ

— Fish On First (@FishOnFirst) August 9, 2026

Stowers missed most of spring training and the first three weeks of the regular season this year with a strain in his right hamstring. After initially struggling in his return, the 2025 All-Star posted a .897 OPS and 11 home runs in 44 games since June 15. He enjoyed a terrific series against the Angels, going 6-for-11 with two walks.

Should Stowers land on the IL, the Marlins could call up Jonathon Long, who came from the Chicago Cubs in the Braxton Garrett trade at the deadline last week. He has been splitting time between first base and left field during his brief stint with Triple-A Jacksonville. He entered Sunday with a respectable 21.5% strikeout rate, .820 OPS, and a .351 BABIP in 103 games in Triple-A this year. Long does not have any prior MLB experience.

Deyvison De Los Santos is another call-up candidate who is already on Miami's 40-man roster. During his third season in the International League, the 23-year-old seems to be trending in the right direction, recording his best OPS (.782) and strikeout rate (18.5%) since getting to Jacksonville. He homered again on Sunday shortly after the Stowers injury occurred.

Agustín Ramírez could take some of the reps at first if Stowers misses time. Coincidentally, Marlins president of baseball operations Peter Bendix just confirmed to the media last week that the longtime catcher is "trying to add versatility" by relearning a position he previously played from 2021-24 in the minors.

Leo Jiménez is another name to watch considering that he was the choice to take over for Stowers on Sunday. However, Jiménez lacks the offensive upside of the aforementioned alternatives (.215/.310/.289 slash line in 53 games).

The Marlins don't play again until 6:40 pm Tuesday night against the Pittsburgh Pirates, so they can thoroughly assess the extent of Stowers' injury and carefully review their options before proceeding.