The Marlins suffered a tough blow today, with the news that promising young infielder Connor Norby will miss approximately four weeks with a Grade 1 left oblique strain. Manager Clayton McCullough broke the news to reporters, including Christina De Nicola of MLB.com, this morning. Norby, 24, suffered the injury while taking a swing on Saturday evening.
The Marlins acquired Norby and outfielder Kyle Stowers from the Orioles ahead of the trade deadline last summer, in exchange for left-hander Trevor Rogers. Both Baseball America and Keith Law of The Athletic ranked Norby as one of Baltimore’s top 10 prospects heading into the 2024 season, but with players like Gunnar Henderson, Jordan Westburg, Jackson Holliday, and Coby Mayo ahead of him on the infield depth chart, it was never clear if he had a future with the club. Conversely, he has a clear path to playing time in Miami (once healthy). After the Fish called him up last August, he appeared in 36 games over the final six weeks of the season, mostly splitting his time between second and third base. He hit seven home runs, drew 15 walks, and produced a 108 wRC+ across 162 trips to the plate.
Norby was in line for an everyday third base role with the rebuilding Marlins in 2025. That job should still be his to lose upon his return, but the Marlins will have to get by without one of their better projected hitters for the first month of the season. The fact that Norby looks like one of the better offensive players on Miami’s roster says far more about the pitiful state the Marlins are in right now than it does about Norby himself. Still, this is a tough loss for a team that already has so little to look forward to in 2025, especially on the offensive side of the ball. Jesús Sánchez is also set to miss at least the first two weeks with an oblique injury.
Earlier today, De Nicola reported that Graham Pauley would earn the final spot on the Opening Day roster if Norby did indeed start the season on the IL. Pauley, another 24-year-old third baseman, joined the Marlins from the Padres as part of the Tanner Scott trade last summer. He played 13 games with San Diego at the big league level in 2024, going 4-for-32 with 15 strikeouts and no walks. Once a relatively well-regarded prospect, his stock fell last year as he struggled to hit at Triple-A or in the majors. Nonetheless, as one of this team’s few options to play third base, he could see a good amount of playing time while Norby is out.
Another option to cover at third base for the Fish is Eric Wagaman. Like Pauley, Wagaman made his MLB debut last year and struggled to make much of an impact in a handful of games. He is also three years older than Pauley and comes with less of a prospect pedigree. The Marlins clearly saw something they liked in Wagaman when they signed him to a major league contract this offseason, but Pauley seems to be the better upside play. Jonah Bride, 29, is expected to take most of his reps at first base or DH, but he has 61 games of MLB experience at the hot corner and could fill in there temporarily. In addition, utility player Javier Sanoja, 22, has played third base in the minors, though he has not suited up there regularly since 2021.