Miami Marlins Trade Liam Hicks to Rays for Three Prospects

Santana was the Rays' No. 27 prospect. The Miami native joined the Rays as the No. 31 overall pick in the 2023 MLB Draft. He hit .311 with three home runs, eight doubles, a triple, 24 RBIs and 23 stolen bases over his first 54 minor league appearances this year. The 21-year-old shortstop hit .263 with two homers, 13 doubles, two triples, 43 RBIs and 47 stolen bases over 89 appearances last year for the Hot Rods.

The Marlins have the eighth-best batting average (.250) so far this season, led by shortstop Otto Lopez's .321 mark. Elevated play by first baseman Kyle Stowers (.234 with a team-high 16 homers) and catcher Joe Mac (.245 with 11 homers) gave them flexibility to trade Hicks for the trio of prospects.

The Marlins (58-55) won six of their last seven games, including their last three, and sit in third place in the National League East, 9.5 games behind the division-leading Atlanta Braves (67-45). They are 1.5 games back in the National League wild card race.

The Braves will host the Marlins at 7:15 p.m. EDT Tuesday in Atlanta.

The Rays (65-46) have the top batting average (.258) in the American League and are tied with the Pittsburgh Pirates for the second-best mark in baseball, trailing only the Los Angeles Dodgers (.262). They hold a 2.5 game lead on the second-place New York Yankees (63-49) in the American League East.

The Rays will play the Colorado Rockies (45-67) at 8:40 p.m. Monday in Denver.