The Marlins announced that shortstop Xavier Edwards has been placed on the 10-day injured list (retroactive to May 15) due to a left mid-back strain. Infielder Otto Lopez will take Edwards’ spot on the active roster, as Lopez was reinstated from his own IL stint after missing just two weeks due to an ankle sprain. Lopez and Javier Sanoja figure to handle shortstop duties while Edwards is sidelined.
As indicated by the retroactive placement, Edwards has missed Miami’s last couple of games with his bad back. Manager Clayton McCullough said yesterday that imaging didn’t reveal anything structurally wrong and that Edwards was going to test things out with some baseball activities, but clearly the infielder wasn’t yet good enough to return to action. It might be that the team decided to simply give Edwards the full 10 days to rest and recover, rather than bring him back in any kind of rushed fashion.
Edwards was a well-regarded prospect during his time in the Padres’ and Rays’ farm systems, but he didn’t make his MLB debut until he joined the Marlins in 2023. He got a good run of regular shortstop playing time in 2024 and responded by hitting .328/.397/.423 over 303 plate appearances and stealing 31 bases (in 35 attempts), but Edwards’ numbers have dipped to a .263/.337/.292 slash line in 194 PA this year. The dropoff in slugging percentage is eye-opening, yet since Edwards has never been a big power hitter, the reduced average and OBP may be bigger obstacles to his game.