Griffin Conine goes deep as Marlins top Mariners

It sounds like a precautionary move since Caissie was replaced by Griffin Conine in right field to open the second inning. The 24-year-old rookie has hit .239/.297/.459 with 12 homers, 50 RBI and four steals in 246 plate appearances over 79 games in his Miami debut. He’s delivered borderline top-50 value among fantasy outfielders this season.

Hernández hit two home runs on Sunday and then was not in the lineup on Tuesday as the Marlins struggle to deal with their outfield surplus. Hernández has started mainly against lefties, with Griffin Conine and/or Owen Caissie heading to the bench, which makes sense because Hernández has been far better against lefties, with an .870 OPS compared to a .739 mark against righties. On Wednesday, it will be Conine on the bench despite the Marlins facing right-haner George Kirby.

Conine returns to Miami’s lineup following a 10-week absence working his way back from surgery to repair a tendon in his left hamstring back in mid-April. He went 4-for-10 with one homer during a three-game minor league rehab assignment at Triple-A Jacksonville. The 28-year-old offers some interesting over-the-fence pop and could be a cheap power source in extremely deep mixed leagues.

Conine played seven innings in right field during his first rehab contest since undergoing surgery to repair a tendon in his left hamstring back in mid-April. The 28-year-old is likely to require a handful of additional contests before he’s ready to rejoin Miami’s corner outfield mix.

Zuber had posted a 5.20 ERA and 43/16 K/BB ratio in 27 2/3 innings at Triple-A this season. He had posted two saves but should provide some length out of the bullpen in the short-term. Griffin Conine (hamstring) was moved to the 60-day injured list to open up a spot on the 40-man roster.

Conine suffered a hamstring tear while trying to make a diving play earlier this week and will be sidelined until at least late May or early June. The 28-year-old corner outfielder’s absence should be filled by Kyle Stowers (hamstring) once he wraps up his minor league rehab assignment. He was off to a strong start, hitting .273/.360/.591 with two homers, four RBI and two steals through 11 games. It’s a tough break after he suffered a significant shoulder injury last April that kept him on the shelf for five months.

Conine was off to a nice start at the head of a platoon in left field for the Marlins, but will likely miss significant time with this and surgery is likely for the 28-year-old left fielder. Heriberto Hernández has been the starter against lefties and figures to get some of Conine’s time, but it may not be quite as open-and-shut as that with Deyvison De Los Santos up from Triple-A Jacksonville and Kyle Stowers due back soon.

Heriberto Hernández took over in left field. It looked like Conine grabbed his left knee or hamstring after throwing the ball in. The Marlins soon updated that it was “left knee discomfort.” Conine is off to a .300/.391/.650 start for Miami with two homers and two steals, and it was looking like he’d be the strong side of a platoon in left field with Hernández if he kept that up.

Stowers has been managing a hamstring strain and has not yet debuted this season. It sounds like the Marlins may also look to manage his hamstring by allowing him to play some games at first base as he returns. That could open up more at-bats in the outfield for Griffin Conine, who is off to a good start.

There’s a bit of uncertainty with how the Marlins are going to divide up playing time when all of their corner outfield options are healthy, but Conine looks like he’s going to be part of the picture for a long time. The 28-year-old slugger mashed a two-run shot off Reds starter Brady Singer in this one and is hitting .300 (6-for-20) with two homers, four RBI and two steals in 10 games.