Xavier Edwards out of lineup on Friday

The Red Sox seem to prefer Otto Lopez and prefer to add a shortstop at the deadline, but Red Sox assistant general manager Taylor Smith was previously with the Rays and was instrumental in acquiring Xavier Edwards from them previously. Edwards lacks the arm to play shortstop, but he has played there in the past and could help until Trevor Story or Marcelo Mayer are back from their injuries. Edwards is hitting .292/.373/.401 this season with six home runs, 18 steals, and elite contact metrics at the plate. He’d also likely cost less to acquire than Otto Lopez.

The versatile 23-year-old has been really struggling the plate over the past few weeks, slashing .212/.241/.288 with zero homers and one RBI over 54 plate appearances in his last 15 games. Graham Pauley will man the hot corner for the Marlins and bat eighth against Mets’ right-hander Nolan McLean.

Edwards’ two RBI came on a game-tying single in the seventh. Miami was down 6-0 before scoring eight unanswered runs to sweep the Phillies. The comeback is even more notable considering they had lost 12 straight entering the series. Edwards hasn’t hit as well lately as he did earlier in the year, but a high batting average with speed and non-zero power has been a season-long win for fantasy managers, especially at a weak position. His underlying metrics suggest he’s taken a real step forward in 2026.

Lopez takes a seat for the second consecutive contest with inflammation in his right ring finger. The positive news for the Marlins, and fantasy managers, is that initial X-rays came back negative and he doesn’t appear to be facing an extended absence. The 27-year-old middle infielder has been an unexpected breakout sensation, delivering first-round fantasy value this season, slashing .335/.368/.505 with 61 runs scored, nine homers, 46 RBI and 18 stolen bases across 419 plate appearances through 97 games. It’ll be Javier Sanoja taking over at shortstop in his place on Monday night.

Sanoja knocked a base hit and scored a run in the second inning, then took Tanner Gordon deep for a three-run blast in the third to extend the Miami lead. He later added another single and a run scored in the seventh. The 23-year-old super-utility man is hitting .275/.312/.404 with three homers, 19 runs scored, 32 RBI and five steals across 206 plate appearances.

The triple, which gave him all three of his runs batted in, was a grounder down the right field line that Troy Johnston wasn’t especially quick to get to. It was Sanoja’s first triple of the year. He drove in more runs with that one hit than he had while batting .227/.239/.295 with two RBI in his previous 16 games.

Edwards found himself back at second base and hitting cleanup after a brief one-game absence due to left thumb soreness. It doesn’t appear to be a significant concern moving forward.

Edwards secured one of the four thefts Miami picked up on the bases. The Marlins became the first team to have four players with 10 or more stolen bases this season. Edwards, Otto Lopez, Jakob Marsee, and Esteury Ruiz make up the quartet. The story of Edwards’ season, however, has been what he’s done as a hitter. He has career highs in bat speed, barrel rate, strikeout rate, walk rate, and nearly all of his quality-of-contact metrics.

Sanoja paced the Marlins’ offense here. His fifth inning blast off Rays’ starter Shane McClanahan was the first run that was scored in this game and began the domino effect that forced his exit soon thereafter. To which, his run-scoring single in the following inning was the final blow. He’s been Miami’s swiss-army knife this season, appearing at six different positions and working his way to an acceptable .702 OPS through nearly 150 plate appearances.

Edwards also drew a walk. The 26-year-old combined with Otto Lopez to go 7-for-7 with four stolen bases, but the rest of the Miami lineup did nothing; a pretty common theme thus far in 2026. He’s now up to eight stolen bases while slashing .316/.396/.481. Quietly, Edwards and Lopez has been as good — if not better — than any double-play combination in the sport.