MIAMI -- Marlins All-Star outfielder Kyle Stowers was scratched from Triple-A Jacksonville’s game on Saturday in Charlotte, N.C., with general fatigue. While he was expected to return to the Jumbo Shrimp lineup on Sunday, he did not.
Stowers, who landed on the injured list on Aug. 17 with a left oblique strain, went hitless in three at-bats with one walk while serving as the designated hitter to begin his rehab assignment on Friday.
The original plan called for Stowers to play in the outfield on Saturday, then return to Miami on Sunday if all went well. The club anticipated Stowers being reinstated early next week.
“I think right now, talking with Kyle, we're going to kind of go day to day with this, and he's been completely honest with us with how he's feeling, and we certainly don't want to rush Kyle back,” manager Clayton McCullough said following Miami’s 4-2 loss to Philadelphia at loanDepot park. “We want to ensure that, No. 1, that he's healthy, and then also he feels like he's ready to come back into a Major League game.
“And if that means a couple more rehab games next week in Jacksonville, then that will be OK, because we want to ensure that he, physically and mentally, is in a good spot. And so today, him acknowledging that he was a little sore, and then wanted another day, we're great with that. And we'll just continue to kind of go day to day with this, with how he continues to progress.”
At the time of his injury, the 27-year-old Stowers was slashing .288/.368/.544 with a 149 OPS+, 21 doubles, three triples, 25 homers and 73 RBIs in 117 games. As the National League’s Player of the Month for July, he was among the NL’s leaders in offensive categories like OPS (.912, fifth), slugging (sixth), homers (tied for ninth) and average (10th).