Alex Krutchik

In advance of his season debut on Sunday, Marlins outfielder Kyle Stowers speaks with the media about his recovery from a hamstring strain and comfort level at first base. View full video

MIAMI, Fla. — The Miami Marlins defense did not have a stellar beginning to the 2026 season, but it seemed like they got sharper towards the end of their most recent road trip in Detroit and Atlanta. Friday’s 7-5 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers felt like a regression to their previous ways. The Brewers took a 3-0 lead with a fourth inning that was marred by bad defense. The Marlins caught up with a two-run home run from Otto Lopez in the seventh and an RBI double from Agustin Ramirez the following inning that tied the game at 4-4. Marlins reliever Calvin Faucher loaded the bases in the 10th inning with a single and a walk on a pitch clock violation. Luis Rengifo hit a ground ball to Xavier Edwards, who threw home to Ramirez. Although the throw was on target, Ramirez, for lack of a better phrase, whiffed on the catch. The ball rolled to the backstop, allowing the go-ahead run to score. “From where I was sitting, it looked like (Ramirez) tried to make play number two before play one,” Marlins manager Clayton McCullough said. “It looked like he just kind of came out of there, really trying to get that 4-2-3 double play and just vacated a little too soon.” For his part, Ramirez was accountable and direct when asked what happened postgame: “I missed it.” That miss wasn’t the first miscue Ramirez made Friday. In the aforementioned fourth inning, Luis Rengifo stood on third with two out. Ramirez attempted to pick him off, but the throw sailed into left field, allowing him to score. It was Ramirez’s third throwing error of the season. Ramirez wasn’t alone in the defensive breakdowns in that inning. Starting pitcher Janson Junk allowed a single, a walk, and a hit-by-pitch to load the bases with one out. Brewers centerfielder Garrett Mitchell hit a soft ground ball to the right side of the infield. Junk, second baseman Xavier Edwards, and first baseman Connor Norby all converged on the ball. Edwards wound up fielding the ball, but nobody was left to cover the bag. By the time Norby got back to first, Mitchell was safe, and a run had scored. Junk took some of the fault, saying he momentarily went for the ball instead of sprinting to first base from the get-go. “The angle I was taking, it felt like the ball was a little bit higher than what I could get to,” Junk said. “And with that split second doubt, I was going to have one of the fielders (get to the ball). It's not like I'm looking back exactly where we're positioned. I think he just hit it in the perfect spot. When I turned around, it was like, ‘oh crap. this is gonna be difficult to get back (to first base).” Norby took reps at first base and the outfield during spring training. But when starting first baseman Christopher Morel suffered a left oblique strain on Opening Day, Norby was thrust into that spot—a position he hadn’t played as a pro. Prior to Friday, Norby had actually recorded zero outs above average, according to Statcast, making him a league-average first baseman by that metric. The Marlins rank fourth-worst among MLB teams this season in defensive runs saved with minus-7, according to FanGraphs. View full article

Marlins closer Pete Fairbanks speaks with the media following Friday's game. Fairbanks pitched a scoreless ninth inning and earned his first save with his new club. View full video

MIAMI — Sandy Alcantara got to leave the mound Friday night knowing he was at the apex of what he’s capable of. It’s a feeling he didn’t have after last year’s Opening Day. The 2022 Cy Young winner pitched well to start last season against the Pittsburgh Pirates. He allowed no hits and walked two through four innings that afternoon, but faltered in the fifth, giving up two runs on two walks and two hits before being pulled in the 5-4 win. It was Alcantara’s first start since undergoing Tommy John surgery after the 2023 season. But Friday was different. Alcantara allowed zero earned runs in seven innings against the Colorado Rockies and retired nine of his last ten batters faced. Unlike his Opening Day start last year, he was able to finish his final frame with relative ease, coming off the field to a standing ovation from the 32,459 in attendance at loanDepot park. “I think I prepared myself very good in the past week for today,” Alcantara said. “I think the hard work I put in the last bullpen I threw was amazing, and today was a great result to me.” Alcantara was perfect in his first frame of work. Even when he allowed a leadoff single to Ezequiel Tovar to start the second, it was negated by a soft ground ball off the bat of TJ Rumfield to shortstop Otto Lopez that turned into a double play. Relievers Andrew Nardi, Anthony Bender, and Pete Fairbanks combined to pitch two scoreless innings to lock down the 2-1 win. It was hopefully an omen of a successful season for Alcantara, who struggled in the first half of 2025 (7.22 ERA) before showing flashes of his old self in the latter half (3.33 ERA). Friday was the second time that a Marlins pitcher allowed zero earned runs over seven or more innings in an Opening Day start, joining Kevin Brown in 1997. View full article

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. View full article

Marlins right-hander Chris Paddack speaks with Fish On First about the significance of Opening Day at this stage of his career and preparing for a full-circle moment when he pitches on Monday. View full video

Marlins outfielder Griffin Conine speaks with Fish On First about experiencing Opening Day for the second time in his career, learning first base and much more. View full video