MIAMI -- Marlins left fielder Griffin Conine exited with left hamstring discomfort after attempting to make a diving grab in the sixth inning of Thursday afternoon’s 8-1 win over the Reds at loanDepot park.
When Spencer Steer sent a sixth-inning flare to shallow left, Conine broke forward with an above-average 27.4 ft/sec sprint speed and dove headfirst. He didn’t come up with the ball and rolled over, losing his glove in the process and immediately feeling behind his left leg. The initial diagnosis was left hamstring discomfort.
Conine, who homered in Wednesday night’s game, missed substantial time last season when he sustained a left shoulder injury on a headfirst slide on April 19 that required left labral and fracture repair. Although those were originally considered season-ending procedures, Conine returned last Sept. 23.
This latest injury comes with the news that All-Star Kyle Stowers will begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Jacksonville on Friday. Stowers, who was an NL Gold Glove finalist in left field last year, has recently been getting first-base reps as well.
Miami’s outfield group includes Jakob Marsee, Owen Caissie, Austin Slater and Heriberto Hernández, who took over for Conine in left. Gold Glove-winning utility player Javier Sanoja started in center in the series finale to give Marsee his first day off from the field.
The only other 40-man outfield options are Esteury Ruiz and Christopher Morel, both of whom are rehabbing injuries of their own in Jupiter, Fla.
Last season’s injury halted a hot start, as Conine was slashing .281/.352/.438 with seven doubles, one homer and seven RBIs in 20 games. Including Thursday, Conine has a slash line of .273/.360/.591 with one double, two homers and four RBIs in 11 games.
“[We're trying] to get a better gauge on what the extent is,” manager Clayton McCullough said. “Griff's really swinging the bat well, and he provides a really nice option for us most often versus right. He's impacted some balls, the slug that he has. He's as tough as they come, gritty. He just kind of [in] a lot of ways symbolizes a lot of what we're doing.
“And then the defensive end of things as well, he's a good defender. We'll see what kind of information we get back, and then if we have to make a decision on something [we’ll do it].”
When Morel went on the injured list, the Marlins recalled first-base prospect Deyvison De Los Santos from Triple-A Jacksonville to round out the active roster until they acquired middle infielder Leo Jiménez in a trade with the Blue Jays the next day. Catcher Joe Mack and middle infielder Jared Serna are the only other healthy 40-man position players in the Minors.
Miami would prefer to have its prospects receive consistent at-bats in the Minors to develop rather than play sparingly in the Majors, but if Stowers’ rehab assignment is on the shorter end, the Marlins could pursue that avenue. Or the organization might consider selecting the contract of a Triple-A outfielder.
The 40-man roster, however, is full. Unranked prospects Andrew Pintar and Matthew Etzel would be options.