Griffin

Conine

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.

Conine missed Wednesday’s game because he wasn’t feeling well, but he’s back out there on Friday. The 28-year-old has gone 4-for-10 with a double, a home run, two RBI, a steal, and a 2/1 K/BB ratio in five games so far this season. He could cement himself as the regular left fielder if he keeps the production up.

Conine went 2-for-4 with a home run on Tuesday, but he’s not feeling well today and will not be in the lineup. Heriberto Hernandez will take his place in left field and bat seventh.

Slater finds a new home with the Marlins shortly after opting out of his contract with the Tigers over the weekend. The 33-year-old veteran’s arrival helps soften the blow of losing both Kyle Stowers (hamstring) and Esteury Ruiz (oblique) to injuries last week. He’ll operate in a lefty-mashing capacity off the bench for Miami, serving as a short-side platoon option to complement left-handed corner outfielders Owen Caissie and Griffin Conine.

Stowers is expected to be shelved for 3-4 weeks. He had battled hamstring issues early on during spring training and then aggravated it again during Friday’s Grapefruit League contest against the Astros. Fantasy managers shouldn’t expect to have him in lineups until the end of April. Griffin Conine figures to be the direct replacement for Stowers on the active roster, perhaps in a platoon role, with Heriberto Hernández serving on the short side of the platoon.

Whether he’s playing first base, right field or DHing, Conine figures to start against righties and hit somewhere in the middle of the Marlins lineup. He still has a lot to prove at the major league level, but he’s come in at a respectable .261/.320/.435 in 175 plate appearances to date.