Liam Hicks blasts grand slam in debut with Rays

Hicks draws an extremely favorable setting for his Tampa Bay debut since he’ll have the opportunity to do some damage in Coors Field’s high-octane offensive environment. The 27-year-old backstop qualifies as one of the Rays’ biggest trade deadline swings in several years and should help fortify the middle of their lineup heading towards the home stretch. He was hitting 282/.363/.432 with 14 homers and 62 RBI across 409 plate appearances for the Marlins prior to the trade.

The 27-year-old Hicks, who won’t be a free agent until after 2030, is probably overachieving some at .282/.363/.432 as a sophomore this year, but he’ll still provide a nice lift over the Rays’ catching duo of Hunter Feduccia and Nick Fortes. Since Hicks and Feduccia are lefty hitters and Fortes is a righty, it’s Feduccia who would seem to be in line for a demotion. No official word yet on whether the Marlins will promote Agustín Ramírez. They already had Brian Navarette up as a third catcher with Hicks often DHing, so they could pick someone else if they don’t see Ramírez getting enough playing time as a DH and backup to Joe Mack.

Brayden Taylor is one of three prospects Miami is getting back, says Will Sammon. The New York Post’s Joel Sherman says Adrian Santana and Jacob Kisting are the other two. The Marlins didn’t have a dire need for Hicks as a catcher following Joe Mack’s emergence, so this makes a ton of sense. The Rays will probably send down fellow left-handed-hitting catcher Hunter Feduccia and keep Nick Fortes as Hicks’ backup. The Marlins could recall Agustín Ramírez to DH and play behind Mack.

Hicks is enjoying a breakout season at the dish, slashing .283/.364/.434 with 14 homers and 62 RBI across 405 plate appearances. Rosenthal notes that the Yankees, while in the market for a catcher, are not among the teams interested in Hicks as they would prefer a catcher that bats from the right side.

Feinsand adds that the Yankees, Red Sox, Rays, White Sox, Rangers and Dodgers are among teams looking to acquire a catcher. Hicks is absolutely a name to watch at next week’s deadline after the Marlins bizarre 12-game losing streak, which they finally snapped with a comeback win over the Phillies on Monday, caused them to tumble out of playoff contention. The 27-year-old backstop has put together an excellent season with a .796 OPS with 14 homers and 60 RBI through 95 games. Miami has rookie defensive wizard Joe Mack seemingly entrenched behind the dish, which makes Hicks expendable in the right deal.

Hicks drew a walk in the first inning, then knocked a base hit in the fifth. He then singled in the seventh to reach for a third time and drive in the team’s only run in the game. The 27-year-old backstop is hitting .289/.362/.459 with 13 homers, 50 runs scored, and 58 RBI across 338 plate appearances.

Hicks is getting a breather against LHP Parker Messick despite starting Miami’s last game against a left-hander. It appears the Marlins will platoon him at times. Hicks is hitting .333/.356/.381 in 45 plate appearances since returning from the injured list at the end of June.

Just two days off the injured list, Hicks has notched two hits in each game since he’s returned. It must be nice to return from a 10-day layoff in Coors Field and immediately get your confidence back. He’s slotted right back into the top third of the Marlins’ lineup and remains a high batting average run producer.

It’s phenomenal timing for fantasy purposes as Hicks returns to Miami’s lineup for Tuesday’s showdown against the Rockies at high-octane Coors Field. The 27-year-old has been one of the most impactful backstops in fantasy this season, hitting .278/.359/.472 with a career-high 13 home runs, 53 RBI and one steal in 288 plate appearances through 73 games before requiring a trip to the injured list with a lower back strain on June 20. His return should add some additional thunder to the heart of the Marlins order.

Tuesday is the first day that Hicks can be activated from the injured list for his lower back inflammation. On Saturday, the Marlins said he was participating in full baseball activities and had no issues with swinging. There have been no updates since then, but if Hicks didn’t suffer any setbacks, then he should be able to return to join the team in Colorado.