MIAMI -- The Marlins welcomed back their longest-tenured position player while saying goodbye to one of last season's biggest surprises by reinstating outfielder Jes¨²s S¨¢nchez from the 10-day injured list and designating for assignment corner infielder Jonah Bride.
S¨¢nchez, who sustained a left oblique strain on March 13 on a check-swing double, started in center field and batted second in the lineup for Tuesday's series opener against the D-backs at loanDepot park. He went 3-for-10 with one double, one walk and three strikeouts in three rehab games for Triple-A Jacksonville prior to his season debut with Miami.
"I truly feel good," S¨¢nchez said via interpreter Luis Dorante Jr. "I'm very confident in what my body feels, and I'm ready to do that, to show that on the field and give all I got and just support my teammates and just help the team."
S¨¢nchez led the Marlins in 2024 with a career-high 18 home runs, one of which was the farthest hit by any Major Leaguer. He provides added pop to a club with the sixth-fewest homers (11) in MLB entering Tuesday.
The addition of the 27-year-old S¨¢nchez also means Miami¡¯s active roster now has five outfielders: S¨¢nchez, Griffin Conine, Derek Hill, Dane Myers and Kyle Stowers, though Myers hasn¡¯t played since his game-ending catch into the Citi Field center-field wall last Wednesday. Plus, utility player Javier Sanoja has started in left and center so far this season.
Miami elected to put S¨¢nchez in center field on Tuesday rather than the right-handed-hitting Hill and Myers, who are the club¡¯s natural center fielders, with a righty starter on the mound. S¨¢nchez has one defensive run saved and zero outs above average in 703 2/3 career innings there, but he hasn't played the position since 2023. S¨¢nchez did get reps in center during Grapefruit League action this spring.
"That's a good problem to have when you feel like you have a lot of players that are capable of contributing and helping you win," manager Clayton McCullough said. "So if guys aren't starting, there'll be an opportunity during that game for their number to be called to help us there, and we'll mix and match some based on who we're facing and what the schedule looks like. Believe that there will be opportunity, and look at it more as a good thing when you're having to make those kind of difficult choices each day with who the nine are going to be."
Bride, meanwhile, opened the season 4-for-40 (.100) with no extra-base hits, 15 strikeouts and five walks in parts of 12 games. His struggles date back to an uneven Grapefruit League campaign, going 8-for-41 (.195) with one double, one triple, one homer, six strikeouts and 11 walks.
It was a disappointing two months for Bride, who got his first chance as a regular at the big league level following last July's Trade Deadline and took advantage. He slashed .282/.369/.485 with nine doubles, 11 homers and 34 RBIs in 59 second-half games. The 11 home runs ranked second behind S¨¢nchez on the club.
The 29-year-old Bride didn't have any Minor League options remaining, and his playing time had diminished as a corner infielder with the right-handed-hitting Eric Wagaman and the left-handed-hitting Matt Mervis and Graham Pauley also on the roster. Soon joining the mix will be third baseman Connor Norby, who is on rehab assignment with Jacksonvile.
"Some of it maybe was [mechanical] and the league does a good job of adjusting, too," McCullough said of Bride. "You have a run of some success, and, unfortunately, Jonah just couldn't get going. We told him we don't think it's indicative of this sample of performance, who you are, it's just kind of what has gone down. He was going through it, and it just came to some of the other guys who were still here, they warranted the opportunity to continue to get some opportunity."