It appears that Kevin Newman’s injury wasn’t as serious as first thought. Just under three weeks after being hit in the eye with a pitch, he has been activated from the disabled list. The 2015 first round pick was hitting .346/.414/.444 at the time of the injury.
Bradenton also added third baseman Wyatt Mathisen to their roster. He has yet to make his season debut after a sore shoulder shut him down during Spring Training. Mathisen hit .263/.342/.342 last year for Bradenton in 118 games. The 2012 second round pick has missed significant time in three of his seasons. He seems like he’s been around forever, but he’s actually four months younger than Newman.
It will be interesting to see how Bradenton splits up time now with Cole Tucker at shortstop and Connor Joe at third base, as well as Pablo Reyes splitting time between middle infield spots, occasionally playing shortstop for Tucker and second base when Kevin Kramer rests. Newman’s stay in Bradenton could be a short stint before he gets promoted to Altoona.
To make room on the roster, relief pitcher Miguel Rosario was promoted to Altoona, and utility player Trace Tam Sing was assigned to the GCL Pirates, which is just a paper move as he serves as the team’s 26th man. Rosario had a 2.64 ERA in 30.2 innings over 19 appearances, with 26 strikeouts, a .232 BAA and a 1.21 WHIP.
UPDATE 8:18 PM: Update from Tim Williams…
I spoke with Larry Broadway about the injuries. Newman went to Pittsburgh two weeks ago, which I reported at the time. However, it was determined that he didn’t need surgery. The delay in returning was so that he could clear concussion protocols.
Mathisen had been out with shoulder issues, but Broadway says the shoulder is fine. Since it was hurt before, they took a longer, conservative rehab. He had been playing in Extended Spring Training to build up innings.
As for playing time, Newman and Tucker will share the position in Bradenton for now. Broadway said they would alternate for the time being, and they would “reevaluate when appropriate.”