Xavier Edwards makes season debut at shortstop

Xavier Edwards is finally back with the Miami Marlins.

Edwards entered spring training vying for a spot on the major league team, fresh off winning a Triple-A batting title and helping with Miami's postseason push as a September call-up. But a severe foot infection sidelined him just one week into Grapefruit League action. What was originally expected to be a short-term injury eventually worsened to the point where he missed the first month-and-a-half of the regular season.

The 24-year-old began the year with the Triple-A Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp on May 7. He picked up right where he left off in 2023 by slashing .365/.411/.481 in 13 games and 52 at-bats.

On Friday, infielders Tim Anderson and Otto Lopez going on the bereavement and paternity lists, respectively, gave way to Edwards' call-up.

His first day back in Miami prior to Friday’s series opener against the Cleveland Guardians, Edwards said the last three months have been “a journey.”

Edwards said the first few weeks was “a lot of sitting around” while he had an IV hooked up to him. Once he was able to get it out of him, he slowly built himself back up and started lifting at the Marlins’ spring training facility in Jupiter. 

Edwards said the biggest hurdle to getting back in game shape was conditioning and getting his speed back. But he said he started feeling like himself again a couple of weeks ago, and the numbers show it, collecting four doubles, a triple, and three stolen bases in 13 games with Jacksonville.

Marlins manager Skip Schumaker even penciled him in as the leadoff hitter Friday while anchoring shortstop, a position Edwards had not previously played as a major leaguer.

“I think he deserves a shot at it,” Schumaker said prior to Friday’s 3-2 victory. "He's earned it. It's not like we’re waiting and seeing. He's earned the right to get a start up here at the big league level, at shortstop. And so the next few games, I think you'll see him playing shortstop.”

Edwards was drafted as a shortstop by the San Diego Padres in 2018. Schumaker was the first base coach for their major league team.

“I love playing shortstop,” Edwards said. “I just kind of got away from it for a long time because the teams I was with prior kind of got me off the position a little bit. But I’m excited to be back over there.”

Although a bulk of Edwards’ time in the field has been spent at second base—in the majors and minors—he said he spends each offseason practicing shortstop, as it helps him with arm strength and footwork.

“At second base, unconsciously, your feet can tend to get lazy, just because the throws are so short,” Edwards explained. “I know I can't do that at shortstop. So I try to practice there every offseason, but this offseason, particularly, I spent a lot of time there.”

Edwards was tested a few times on Friday. He had a couple of throws that were wide left to first baseman Jake Burger. But he made up for it in the sixth inning when he dove to his right on a 102 mile-per-hour ground ball off the bat of Josh Naylor and fired a strike to Burger.

“Well, he had a couple of plays, but he made them, so I'll take it,” Schumaker said. “I only like talking about the plays you make, and he made them all. So I thought it was a great night. Really good diving play, obviously, to the backhand side. And Burger has not played a ton at first, but a really good pick by Burger, too. So yeah, I thought they both played really well tonight, defensively.”

At the plate, Edwards went 0-for-3 with a walk.