Biography
Xavier James Edwards (born August 9, 1999) is an American professional baseball infielder for the Miami Marlins of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut in 2023.
Amateur career
Edwards graduated from North Broward Preparatory School in Coconut Creek, Florida. As a senior, he batted .406 with 16 runs batted in, 24 stolen bases, and a .532 on-base percentage. He committed to play college baseball at Vanderbilt University.
Professional career
San Diego Padres
The San Diego Padres selected Edwards with the 38th overall pick in the 2018 Major League Baseball (MLB) draft, and he signed for $2.6 million. He made his professional debut with the AZL Padres and was promoted to the Tri-City Dust Devils on August 8. In 45 total games with the two teams, Edwards slashed .346/.453/.409, with 16 RBIs and 22 stolen bases.
In 2019, he began with the Fort Wayne TinCaps, earning Midwest League All-Star honors. After slashing .336/.392/.414, with one home run, 30 RBIs, and 20 stolen bases in 77 games, he was promoted to the Lake Elsinore Storm on July 9. In 46 games with Lake Elsinore, he hit .301/.349/.367 with 14 stolen bases.
After the season, on October 10, 2019, he was selected for the United States national baseball team in the 2019 WBSC Premier 12. In the tournament, he appeared in four games, hitting two singles and striking out three times in six at bats.
Tampa Bay Rays
On December 6, 2019, Edwards, Hunter Renfroe, and a player to be named later (PTBNL) were traded to the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for Tommy Pham and Jake Cronenworth. The PTBNL, Esteban Quiroz, was named in March 2020. Rays pitcher Blake Snell infamously referred to Edwards as a "slapdick prospect" upon learning about the trade, later apologizing and explaining that his reaction was about losing his friend Pham to the Padres.
Edwards did not play in 2020, due to the cancellation of the Minor League Baseball season because of the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2021, he played for the Montgomery Biscuits, slashing .302/.377/.368, with 27 RBI and 19 stolen bases over 79 games.
Miami Marlins
On November 15, 2022, Edwards was traded to the Miami Marlins along with J. T. Chargois in exchange for Marcus Johnson and Santiago Suarez. The Marlins subsequently added him to their 40-man roster to protect him from the Rule 5 draft. Edwards was optioned to the Triple-A Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp to begin the 2023 season. He played in 20 games for Jacksonville, batting .306/.427/.361 with no home runs, 4 RBI, and 7 stolen bases.
On May 2, 2023, Edwards was promoted to the major leagues for the first time. On May 30, Edwards was again optioned to Jacksonville. On September 1, he was brought back to the Marlins. In 30 games for Miami in total, Edwards batted .295/.329/.333 with no home runs, three RBI, and five stolen bases. He hit a single in his only postseason at bat, scoring the Marlins' lone run in a series-ending loss to the Philadelphia Phillies on October 4, 2023.
Edwards began the 2024 season on the 10-day injured list with a bacterial infection in his left foot. He was transferred to the 60-day injured list on May 7. On May 27, Edwards was activated and optioned to Triple-A Jacksonville. He was recalled to Miami on June 7 and played in three games before being optioned back to Jacksonville on June 10. He was recalled to Miami on July 2.
On July 28, 2024, Edwards hit his first career triple and home run in addition to hitting for the cycle in a 6–2 loss against the Milwaukee Brewers, becoming the second player in franchise history to hit for the cycle, after Luis Arráez on April 11, 2023, against the Phillies. On September 27, Edwards hit three triples in a 15–5 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays, becoming the first player to achieve the feat since Yasiel Puig in 2014.