Marlins OF Kyle Stowers Debuts at First Base

Miami Marlins star outfielder Kyle Stowers played his first game as a big leaguer at first base on Sunday. 

Stowers went 0-for-4 and the Marlins lost 6-3 against the San Francisco Giants, dropping their fourth straight road series to start the season. 

Stowers is normally an outfielder and Gold Glove finalist at left field last year. The last time Stowers played first base was as a collegiate player at Stanford, which isn’t far from San Francisco. 

“To go out there in a Major League game, I thought he moved around well,” Clayton McCullough said during his postgame press conference. “We’ll see how he felt out there, but the first one, he stood up well. He handled himself well and he’s looked solid when he’s done his ground-ball work.”

The idea behind Stowers adding first base to his range of positions came up after the 2025 season, where he broke out with 25 home runs and 73 RBIs in 117 games. In six games back from injury this year, Stowers has gone 6-for-22 (.273) with three doubles.  

Both his previous season ended with injury and this season started with injury. During his minor league rehab assignment, Stowers played his first professional game at first base in Triple-A Jacksonville. 

McCullough previously stated the Marlins value versatility and sees first base as an option for Stowers to remain in the lineup during times of needing to reduce physical stress on the field. 

“We’ll see how much more we utilize him there,” McCullough said. “It’s certainly nice to have that option to start or maneuver in during a game.”

The Marlins head south to Los Angeles to take on the Dodgers on Monday. Chris Paddack (0-4, 6.38 ERA) takes the mound for Miami against Yoshinobu Yamamoto (2-2, 2.48 ERA).