Marlins outfielder placed on IL with back injury

The Miami Marlins made a couple of roster moves Tuesday, per the transactions tracker at MLB.com. Outfielder Avisaíl García has been placed on the 10-day injured list with lower back tightness, retroactive to April 29, while infielder/outfielder Xavier Edwards has been recalled in a corresponding move.

The timing is unfortunate for García, who was showing signs of life at the plate after a dismal start. He was hitting .157/.204/.235 through his first 56 plate appearances but .278/.350/.611 in his last 20. That’s a small sample, of course, but was surely an encouraging sign of life for a guy who also struggled badly last year. The first season of his four-year, $53M deal, he slashed just .224/.266/.317 in 2022 for a wRC+ of just 66. Any progress he was making will now have to be put on hold thanks to this back issue, which has kept him out of action the past few days. Since the move is backdated, he could return in just a week’s time if the issue subsides between now and then.

Taking his roster spot will be Edwards, 23, who is an intriguing young player. Drafted by the Padres, he was impressive enough in the lower levels of the minors to be considered the #85 prospect in the league by Baseball America going into 2020. That was just after he had been traded to the Rays as part of the deal that sent Tommy Pham and Jake Cronenworth to San Diego. Though there were concerns about his power, he was highly praised for his speed, defense and bat-to-ball skills.

That power still hasn’t developed, as Edwards has just six home runs throughout his entire minor league career thus far. His prospect stock has taken a hit in recent years as his offensive contributions have been muted, but his positive attributes are still there. The Marlins liked him enough that they acquired him from the Rays in the offseason alongside JT Chargois and added him to the 40-man roster to protect him from the Rule 5 draft. He doesn’t have a homer this year through 90 Triple-A plate appearances, but he does have an incredible 16.7% walk rate against just an 8.9% strikeout rate. His .306/.427/.361 batting line this year amounts to a 117 wRC+ and he also has seven stolen bases already.

Defensively, Edwards has been playing second base and center field this year, though he also has past experience at shortstop and third base. He figures to slot into the bench mix, providing depth at multiple spots as utility players Jon Berti and Garrett Hampson share the shortstop duties. Joey Wendle is on a rehab assignment right now, working his way back from an intercostal strain, and could push Edwards back to the minors. But for now, he has a chance to make his major league debut as soon as he gets into a game.