The Marlins are going to option infielder Connor Norby, reports Christina De Nicola of MLB.com. The corresponding move isn’t known yet. The Marlins are off tonight, so the full slate of moves might not be known until tomorrow.
Norby goes out on optional assignment for the first time in almost two years. The Marlins acquired him from the Orioles at the 2024 deadline, alongside Kyle Stowers in the Trevor Rogers trade. In the immediate aftermath of that trade, Norby was kept at Triple-A Jacksonville, but he was recalled on August 19th of that year. Apart from stints on the injured list, he has been on the big league roster since then.
Unfortunately, he hasn’t been able to establish himself at the big league level. He got into 88 games last year, missing time due to a left oblique strain, a hamate fracture and a left quad strain. He slashed .251/.300/.389 for a 90 wRC+ and got poor marks for his third base defense.
He has mostly been deployed at first base this year, with mixed reviews for his glovework. Regardless of how one views the defense, the offensive bar is higher at that position and Norby hasn’t delivered. He has a .205/.313/.325 line and 82 wRC+ in 233 trips to the plate this year. His 10.3% walk rate is a nice jump from last year’s 5.3% pace, but his strikeout rate has also jumped from 26.7% to 30%.
Norby is a former second-round pick and top 100 prospect, so the Fish surely had higher hopes when they acquired him. He has shown the ability to be a much better hitter than this. From 2022 to 2024, he slashed .287/.365/.501 in the minors for a 125 wRC+. The Marlins will send him down to Jacksonville try to get him back on track.
For the club, they have clearly decided it’s time to shake up the first base spot. Christopher Morel was designated for assignment a few days ago, after hitting .162/.219/.206 in 73 plate appearances. Now Norby is removed from the active roster as well, though he still holds a 40-man spot.
Liam Hicks has played some first base this year but he is currently on the injured list. Stowers has been getting a decent amount of playing time at first this year and could stay there, while Heriberto Hernández, Owen Caissie and Griffin Conine cycle through the outfield corners and designated hitter spot.
It’s also possible the corresponding move impacts that outlook. Deyvison De Los Santos and Graham Pauley are both hitting well in the minors and could be recalled. Pauley is a strong third base defender and could take over that spot if he comes up, which would cut into the playing time of Leo Jiménez and Javier Sanoja. De Los Santos has third base experience but has only been playing first in the minors this year.
Turning back to Norby, the timing of this move is potentially notable for him. He came into this season with his service time clock at one year and 57 days, putting him 115 days shy of the two-year mark. Just over 90 days of this season have elapsed so far, meaning he hasn’t quite reached that threshold yet. If he struggles or get hurt and doesn’t get recalled at any point in the remainder of the campaign, his path to free agency would be delayed by one year.
Photo courtesy of Kyle Ross, Imagn Images
