Miami Marlins should take a flier on Christian Encarnacion-Strand

The Miami Marlins have had plenty of luck in recent years making something out of nothing.

This week's opponent just gave Miami a golden chance to do so, and at their weakest position no less.

Before there was Sal Stewart, there was Christian Encarnacion-Strand. Obviously, the luster has faded significantly, but there was a time when the Reds were expecting very big things from the 26-year old corner infielder. Encarnacion-Strand hit 52 home runs across AA and AAA from 2022-2023 before being called up in July of 2023. Once there, he hit 13 more homers and managed to pull off a .270 average at the plate.

Since then, injuries have severely hampered him, the production has fallen off a cliff, and new names emerged to move past him in the Reds organization. In 2025, he posted a .208/.234/.377 line that was actually a dramatic improvement over his 2024 numbers. As we said though, injuries have loomed large. After playing 63 games in 2023, he's played in just 65 games since. His numbers this spring were respectable, but at the time he was designated for assignment, he was only managing to go .222/.275/.472 against AAA competition.

All the same, what exactly do the Miami Marlins have to lose here?

A change of scenery could be just what the doctor ordered. While poor numbers played a large role in Encarnacion-Strand's ouster, they are also just ridiculously deep on infield options, with six names you'd rather have manning first or third. That just isn't the reality the Miami Marlins are living in right now, particularly at first base.

While any Marlins fan reading this probably has one very particular player in mind for jettisoning- sorry Austin Slater-this doesn't even need to impact the 26-man roster right now. Now, Slater would be my pick, with Leo Jimenez right behind him. However, Jared Serna has not been good for some time, and the Marlins just have much more to be excited about in the organization overall at middle infield than they do at the corner spots. Letting him sort stuff out with a new team in the minors would be ideal- he has two options remaining, and won't be a free-agent until 2030.

On the other hand, Encarnacion-Strand would immediately be the most experienced first baseman on the Marlins roster. That could be reason enough to bump Slater out for him, and see if he catches fire over the next month.

It's a low-risk, high-reward move that the Marlins should give some serious thought to making.