Stowers (right hamstring) begins rehab assignment

DETROIT – Marlins All-Star outfielder Kyle Stowers began a rehab assignment with Triple-A Jacksonville on Friday night in Norfolk, Va., playing six innings in left field and going hitless in three at-bats with two strikeouts.

After a scheduled day off Saturday, Stowers will return to the Jumbo Shrimp lineup on Sunday.

Batting second in the order, Stowers saw 16 total pitches while facing right-hander Nestor German (Orioles No. 10 prospect). He worked a six-pitch at-bat, missing on a full-count 92.6 mph four-seamer slightly above the zone in the first. Stowers chased a splitter well below the zone on a 2-2 offering in the third, and then grounded out to short on another 2-2 splitter in the fifth.

The 28-year-old Stowers, who sustained a Grade 1 right hamstring strain on March 20 during the final weekend of camp in Jupiter, Fla., began the season on the 10-day injured list after a disjointed spring that consisted of just 17 Grapefruit League plate appearances.

Miami first scratched Stowers from its Feb. 28 Grapefruit League lineup after a minor right hamstring strain diagnosis. Before returning to action on March 14, he went through a running progression and got live at-bats on the back fields. Stowers aggravated his hamstring in just his third game back, when he felt tightness rounding third on Liam Hicks' popout during a split-squad game.

“Hopefully he gets through that well,” manager Clayton McCullough said pregame of Stowers' rehab debut. “We'll give him enough time to make sure [he’s built up]. He basically missed all of Spring Training, so he'll get enough games where he's in a good spot, both physically and how he feels with his swing.”

Prior to beginning his rehab assignment, Stowers had been hitting off teammates’ pitch design sessions and the Trajekt machine. Baseball activities included work in the outfield as well as first-base reps, which could be a possibility upon his return from the IL. Now that Griffin Conine is contemplating surgery after tearing his left hamstring, however, that might not be necessary. Miami plans on rotating right-handed-hitting Javier Sanoja, Heriberto Hernández and Austin Slater in left field until Gold Glove finalist Stowers returns.

With Conine sidelined, the Marlins lost one of their top slugging lefty bats. He along with Liam Hicks and Owen Caissie are the only Marlins with multiple homers this season.

In Friday night's 2-0 loss to the Tigers at Comerica Park, the Marlins were shut out for the second time in five games. They collected just two hits -- Xavier Edwards’ triple as the game’s second batter and Connor Norby’s bloop double in the fifth -- and four total baserunners.

Entering Friday, Miami’s lineup still managed to be one of the Majors’ more productive ones despite Stowers' absence, ranking fifth in runs scored (67) and fourth in OPS (.760). His eventual return will be a boost for the middle of the order, as he led the Marlins with 25 homers and finished second with 73 RBIs despite a season-ending oblique injury in mid-August.