Connor

Norby

He’s leading off today, as Xavier Edwards is again absent from the lineup for some undisclosed reason.

Norby was originally in the lineup at third base, but has been scratched for an unknown reason. We’ll update his status once we know more. David Hensley will enter the lineup at first base while Jake Burger moves across the diamond to take Norby’s spot at third base.

Norby is suddenly on a heater. This pair of homers gave him three in two games, four over his last seven, and six in 18 since being called up by the Marlins. His power surge has been backed up by a strong 12.1% barrel rate along with an inflated 33.0% strikeout rate. A feast or famine approach like this may not be sustainable forever, but right now it could provide some power.

Norby got the scoring started for the Marlins with a two-run blast off Aaron Nola in the first inning. He drove in a third run with a base hit in the fourth. The 24-year-old third baseman is hitting .277/.311/.535 with six homers, 19 runs scored, 12 RBI, and two steals across 106 plate appearances.

Norby has been one of the few bright spots for the Marlins in the closing stages of the year, batting an impressive .327 (17-for-52) with three homers, six RBI and two steals in 13 games since coming over to Miami at the trade deadline. He should be rostered in deeper mixed leagues at this juncture, but is probably worthy of a roster spot in shallow mixed leagues as well.

Norby crushed a 362-foot solo homer off of Taylor Rogers in the sixth inning that extended the Marlins’ lead to 3-1. He also struck out twice in the ballgame. The 24-year-old has been sizzling at the dish since joining the Marlins and is now hitting .263/.306/.538 with five homers and eight RBI on the season.

Norby has been outstanding so far in a small sample size since getting the call earlier this month to make his Marlins debut, batting .350 (14-for-40) with two homers and two steals in 10 games. The 24-year-old is finally getting a real opportunity at the highest level in Miami after being blocked by the overabundance of young talent in Baltimore.

With his hit in tonight’s game, Norby extended his hitting streak to eight games and tied for the third-longest hit streak to begin a stint with the Marlins in franchise history. He is also the first to reach a hit streak of eight or more games since Starlin Castro did it back in 2018. The 24-year-old struggled in his first taste of MLB action with the Orioles this season but has gone 11-for-33 (.333) with two home runs, three RBI, and a steal in eight games. He likely won’t hit for enough power or steal enough bases to be a major contributor on fantasy teams, but he should hit for a high average and be in the lineup every day.

Just a triple short of the cycle, Norby put his potential on display here. He took Javier Assad deep to lead off the game and paced Miami’s lineup. He’s hit in all three games since being called-up with two homers and a stolen base and has hit first in back-to-back games. It wouldn’t be surprising to see him rip off a hot month to close the season.

Norby has his first homer with the Marlins — and third when combined with the two he hit in Baltimore — with a solo shot off Shota Imanaga. Since joining Miami in the deal for Trevor Rogers, he’s hit .300 with a .933 OPS over 20 at-bats in five games.