Marlins OF Kyle Stowers returns to Baltimore as an All-Star

BALTIMORE (AP) — A year ago, Kyle Stowers was shuffling back and forth between Triple-A Norfolk and Baltimore while trying to establish himself as an everyday major leaguer.

Stowers was forced to continue that quest in Miami after being traded by the Orioles last July 30. Unfortunately, success remained elusive as the overwhelmed rookie strived to adjust to a new environment and big league pitching.

This season, however, everything has clicked for the blond, blue-eyed outfielder. It started on opening day, when he singled in the winning run in the bottom of the ninth against Pittsburgh.

And so, when Stowers returned to Baltimore with the Marlins on Friday, he did so as a member of the NL All-Star team.

“I'm very comfortable in this ballpark. It’s where I debuted. I hit my first home run here," Stowers said before the start of a three-game series between two sub-.500 teams. "Lot of special moments. I guess I shouldn’t say a lot. A few special moments.”

Drafted by Baltimore in the second round of the 2019 amateur draft, Stowers hit .229 over parts of three seasons with the Orioles. Then, with Baltimore looking for pitching to mount a playoff run, Stowers was sent to Miami with infielder Connor Norby for lefty Trevor Rogers.

Stowers batted .186 in 50 games with the Marlins after the trade. This season, however, he has flourished.

“He has made some adjustments,” Orioles interim manager Tony Mansolino said. “The big leagues will expose your holes, and then it’s a sink or swim scenario. He’s swimming.”

While the Marlins tinkered with Stowers' swing, the 27-year-old overhauled his fear-of-failure attitude.

“I just feel like I’ve learned how to not put pressure on myself,” Stowers said. “I kind of realized that I’m the one person in my life who wouldn’t be OK with me not having the baseball career I should have. I have a multitude of people that love and care about me regardless of what happens on the baseball field. I just kind of leaned on that, and my faith in God.”

Stowers came to town batting .279 with 16 homers and 48 RBIs. Only one player on the Orioles has a better batting average, and no one on the team has as many long balls or RBIs.

“Opening night, getting a walk-off hit was a great start,” Marlins manager Clayton McCullough said. "The one moment that stands out for me was the walk-off grand slam he hit off (2024 All-Star closer) Mason Miller (on May 3). Premium velocity at the top of the strike zone, which is something that is well-documented that Kyle has struggled with in the past.

“But the adjustments he made to be able to get to that pitch, that was a big one for us and a big one for Kyle.”

McCullough hopes Stowers and Norby can savor their return to Baltimore this weekend, beyond merely socializing with old friends.

“Come back and enjoy this,” the first-year manager said. “It’s cool in a lot of ways to come back and see former teammates and coaches that you spent time with and were part of your growth as a young player. Embrace that. That’s why guys come out and do a lot of cool things against their former teams. I hope that happens for us in this series.”

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

Miami Marlins' Kyle Stowers takes the field during the first inning of a baseball game against the Baltimore Orioles, Friday, July 11, 2025, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)

Miami Marlins' Kyle Stowers warms up on-deck during the first inning of a baseball game against the Baltimore Orioles, Friday, July 11, 2025, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)

Miami Marlins' Kyle Stowers tosses his bat after being walked by Baltimore Orioles starting pitcher Dean Kremer during the fourth inning of a baseball game Friday, July 11, 2025, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)

Miami Marlins' Kyle Stowers (28) passes third base coach Blake Lalli (45) after hitting a solo home run during the third inning of a baseball game against the Milwaukee Brewers, Saturday, July 5, 2025, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — Jack Hughes returned to the Devils’ lineup just over five weeks after having finger surgery and scored New Jersey's first goal against Buffalo on Sunday night.

Hughes received a loud ovation when he skated out for warmups, then scored his 11th goal of the season at 8:51 of the first period. That gave the Devils a 1-0 lead and brought more sustained cheers as Hughes raced in celebration to center ice where he was mobbed by teammates.

Hughes was expected to miss two months after his Nov. 15 operation at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York. The 24-year-old center injured his right hand at a team dinner in Chicago a couple of nights earlier.

Hughes was the Devils’ leading scorer at the time of his injury with 20 points, and New Jersey was in first place in the Eastern Conference. The Devils lost 10 of 18 games without Hughes.

Getting back on the ice in game action paves the way for Hughes to be selected for the U.S. Olympic team. The roster deadline for the Milan Games is Dec. 31.

Devils forward Timo Meier also returned for New Jersey after taking a leave of absence earlier this month to attend to a family health matter. He had missed five games.

AP NHL: https://www.apnews.com/hub/NHL

FILE - New Jersey Devils center Jack Hughes moves the puck during the first period of an NHL hockey game against the San Jose Sharks, Oct. 30, 2025, in San Jose, Calif. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez, file)