MIAMI -- Xavier Edwards is back in action.
The Marlins’ leadoff hitter made team history in his first game back from the injured list -- and his first start at second base this year -- on Sunday afternoon at loanDepot park. Though Miami was unable to eke out a win, losing the finale, 4-2, to San Francisco, Edwards looked ready to reclaim his spot atop the order -- and to begin a new chapter on the right side of the infield.
Edwards went 5-for-5 at the dish with four singles and a double in his return. His five hits matched a franchise record for the most hits in a game by any Marlin, which has been done on 24 occasions by 19 other Marlins -- most recently by Jesús Sánchez on Sept. 17, 2024 vs. the Dodgers.
“Just swinging at good pitches,” Edwards said about his approach. "Keeping the ball low.”
Edwards opened the affair by slapping a 97.3 mph double to left field off Giants starter Hayden Birdsong in the first, staying behind the low-outside fastball to punch it down the line. The hit was his 12th to open a game, the eighth-most in the Majors.
Edwards went opposite field again in the third, this time reaching 99.7 mph on his second single of the day, which he stretched to second base after Heliot Ramos and Luis Matos collided in the outfield. The 25-year-old notched his third hit with a bloop single on an inside slider, and his fourth on a high infield chopper to plate a run with the bases loaded.
Defensively, Edwards -- who made 17 starts at second in 2023 -- recorded three assists on ground balls and completed two double plays.
“It’s good to be back,” Edwards said. “[I feel] great. I’ve played there the last five years, most of my early career. I’m comfortable there and looking forward to it.”
Edwards was alluding to his Minor League career with both Tampa Bay (2019-22) and Miami, where he was deployed mostly at second. He shifted to shortstop at the Major League level in 2024 and was Miami’s Opening Day shortstop this year.
“He’s a pro,” infield coach Tyler Smarslok said. “He’s played a lot of second base in his career. It’s more of just reactivating it into some of the special things that happen at second. But the feet, the pivot … all his skill sets play really well at second.
“I don’t think it was necessarily like something wasn’t working. I think X has proven that he can continue to get better at things, and if he was given that runway, I think he was going to continue to get better. I bet on that guy every day. The thing is, I think second base is a home for him, and he feels really comfortable.”
According to Smarslok, the Fish are also deploying new wearable goggles, called Synaptec, to aid the transition of infielders like Edwards, Otto Lopez (who shifted to short from second), and Liam Hicks (a primary catcher who made his first start at first base on Sunday).
“They’re like strobe light glasses,” Smarslok said. ”They have different settings. They flash side to side, up and down. They can close one eye and close the other eye. You can speed up the flash. … The early returns have been you do your work without them, you do them with them, and then you take them off again, and everything feels very slow. … It makes them rely on other visual cues, so rather than seeing everything in real time, they actually have to predict a little bit better.
“It’s new for us as of a couple days. We placed the order, got them in on Friday, and just kind of been playing around with them and learning. I don’t know how new it is [in general], but it’s more like a cognitive thing. It’s for reactions. … Eric Wagaman mentioned that he had used them [before] for hitting-wise too."
The goggles are an innovative addition to an infield that’s still learning to gel with multiple moving parts.
What’s not new though, is Edwards’ importance to Miami as a leadoff hitter. He’s currently batting .263 with a .629 OPS in the leadoff spot, while his 11 stolen bases are tied for third among leadoff hitters with Shohei Ohtani.
Developing chemistry with his teammates at his new home will take time.
But Miami is glad to have “X” back, and he figures to be a central figure in their lineup for the foreseeable future.