Kyle

Stowers

It sounds like he might have stayed in if the Marlins hadn’t had a five-run lead against the Dodgers. If he can’t go Saturday, Esteury Ruiz could get a start in his place.

Stowers smacked a single into right field off of Jack Perkins in the first inning and scampered home on a wild pitch. He then led off the sixth inning with a 368-foot (108.6-mph EV) solo shot off of Justin Sterner that increased the Marlins’ advantage to 8-5. Stowers then piled on with a 388-foot (106.8-mph EV) two-run blast off of Mason Barnett in the eighth that made it 10-5. The 28-year-old outfielder’s bat appears to be heating up and he’s now hitting .243/.330/.457 with 10 homers, 37 RBI and one stolen base in 277 plate appearances on the season.

Stowers got off to a rough start this season. He had one RBI in March and April and hit .218 in May. June has been kinder as the 28-year-old slugger has five home runs and 21 RBI in 22 games. Stowers is hitting .230 with a .744 OPS and 32 RBI.

Stowers’ homer was a solo shot in the second inning that gave Miami a 1-0 lead against Logan Webb, one of just five hits they would collect on the day. He finished with a walk and another run scored. The homer was his fifth of the month as he begins to heat up following a slow start. He has started at first base nine times this season, eight of which have come in June.

Stowers’ second homer of the afternoon came against a lefty, which is always nice to see for a left-handed hitter. He hasn’t been in a platoon, though, having started against eight of 11 possible southpaws since coming off the IL in mid-April. Stowers was also making his seventh start of the season at first base on Wednesday, which helps his fantasy viability in formats where he picks up the added eligibility. The former Oriole hasn’t produced so far in 2026 like he did last season, but this big game could be a sign of things to come.

It’s Stowers’ first multi-hit game of the month — the power has still mostly been there for Stowers this year, but he’s hitting .220 on the season and his expected batting average of .228 isn’t screaming fluke. The strikeout rate has climbed back to the 30 percent range and his barrel rate has fallen from 19.1 percent in 2025 to just 8.8 percent this year. In other words: He’s not a must-roster player in shallow leagues at this point, even if he is hitting in the middle of Miami’s lineup.

The Marlins have struggled to find a consistent first base option this year, but this could be a boost to their lineup if Stowers is able to stick there defensively. On Thursday, Esteury Ruiz will play left field and bat ninth, but this would also open up extra bats for Heriberto Hernandez.

Stowers and teammate Liam Hicks went deep against Nationals reliever Cole Henry in the ninth inning to give Miami a commanding four-run lead at the time. It was his first round-tripper since a two-homer explosion against Atlanta back on May 21. The 28-year-old corner outfielder is hitting just .221/.301/.379 with four homers, 13 RBI and one steal through 38 games this season.

Stowers provided a key insurance run for Miami with a run-scoring double to left field off Blue Jays rookie sensation Trey Yesavage with two outs in the sixth inning. The ball probably should’ve been caught by left fielder Yohendrick Piñango, but it wound up dropping for a pivotal hit. He brought home an additional run with a double down the left-field line in the eighth inning off reliever Tyler Rogers to cap off a multi-hit effort.

Stowers tagged Braves’ right-hander Spencer Strider for a 371-foot (100.5 mph EV) solo shot in the fourth inning that pulled the Marlins to within a run at 3-2. He then replicated the feat after an eight-pitch battle in the seventh inning, launching a 382-foot (102.7 mph EV) solo shot that made it a 6-3 ballgame. Stowers struck out in each of his other two at-bats in the contest. For the season, the 28-year-old is slashing a disappointing .228/.328/.366 with three homers and eight RBI through his first 116 plate appearances.