MIAMI -- Marlins All-Star outfielder Kyle Stowers may be sidelined a little longer than expected after sustaining a right oblique strain in a recent rehab game.
Stowers was already on the injured list with a left oblique strain.
According to Miami manager Clayton McCullough, Stowers got hurt Friday night during an at-bat while serving as the designated hitter for Triple-A Jacksonville.
Stowers was 0-for-3 with one walk in his first rehab game with the Jumbo Shrimp; he did not play Saturday and returned to Miami. He said he was hurt in that initial at-bat on Friday.
"I took a weird swing on a changeup down and away … and didn’t think too much of it," Stowers said following his team’s 7-5 loss to the Washington Nationals on Tuesday at loanDepot park.
"I am coming back from injury and that’s sometimes part of the process -- getting the rest of the body going," Stowers added. "The next day … I was pretty sore all over. That led to the scratch. Once my body calmed down, I noticed some tightness in the rib area and was a little in disbelief."
The Marlins (66-79) have 17 games remaining in the regular season. Both McCullough and Stowers say they do not know how long this latest setback will last, but time in the 2025 season is running out.
"We know where we are in the calendar and everything," McCullough said. "So, we’re halting the rehab right now and it will take a couple of days to see what that downtime potentially looks like moving forward."
McCullough was asked whether the Marlins had thought about shutting down Stowers for the season, and the manager reiterated that they were going to take a few days before making a decision.
"We will continue to see how it continues to progress, see how he feels," McCullough said. "We are not going to push the envelope with Kyle and with where we’re at. You are not always sure with how these things play out.
"The most important thing right now is to get him healthy, whether that’s to play at the end of this year or ensure that he goes into the offseason in a good spot."
Speaking with reporters Tuesday night, Stowers seemed to get a little emotional when talking about his new injury.
Stowers also knows there are not many games remaining, but he is not ready to pack it in.
"I care a lot and this is not what I wanted to happen," Stowers said. "I definitely had some emotional conversations with my wife, my mom and my agent. I still have so much to be grateful for. I know you are going to ask how the rest of the season is going to go, and I do not know. Just kind of a day-to-day thing right now."
Stowers initially went on the IL on Aug. 17, with the Marlins saying it was expected he would miss a few weeks. He was originally injured when he felt tightness during an at-bat in Boston on Aug. 15. Stowers fought through with an RBI double.
Stowers, 27, was enjoying a fantastic season, one in which he was named an All-Star for the first time. He was slashing .288/.368/.544 with a 149 OPS+, 21 doubles, three triples, 25 homers and 73 RBIs in 117 games.
Stowers was the National League’s Player of the Month for July and was among the NL leaders in several offensive categories.
"If you would have told me I would have done the things I have this year … I completely surpassed any expectations I had going into the year," Stowers said. "My only goal was to be on the roster this year. So, the All-Star Game, the home runs, all that stuff was not on my radar."
It has been, by all accounts, a fantastic season for Stowers -- one he does not want to wrap up just yet.
"I don’t want to do a full recap of this year just yet," Stowers said, "because I don’t know what the next few weeks are going to look like. But I am very grateful for what has happened thus far."