Groin Injury Expected to Land Pirates SS Kevin Newman on 10-Day IL

Tuesday night, Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop Kevin Newman was removed from the game in the eighth inning against the Milwaukee Brewers. Pirates director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk said on Wednesday that Newman is expected to be out 3-5 weeks with a left groin strain and will be placed on the 10-day injured list. 

Newman missed three games earlier this season with a left groin injury suffered running the bases, but returned without missing any playing time. This injury is separate from that one, according to Tomczyk.

In the 2022 season, Newman has eight RBIs for the Pirates and is tied for the team lead with Michael Chavis. Newman’s slash line stands at .250/.308/.375 with an OPS of .683. Although Newman has made some spectacular plays at shortstop this year, he has four errors and a fielding percentage of .900. 

Diego Castillo will fill in for Newman at the shortstop position Wednesday night. Whether or not Castillo will stick at shortstop for the foreseeable future remains unclear; a certain sect of Pirates fans will surely start the Oneil Cruz rumor mill. The Pirates also used Ke’Bryan Hayes at shortstop for the first time in his professional career after Newman’s injury on Tuesday.

Be sure to check back in for any more updates on the Newman situation right here at Pittsburgh Baseball Now.