Pirates infielder Kevin Newman exited with the team's athletic trainers Saturday after being hit in the left knee with a pitch in the ninth inning of the Pirates' 5-4 loss to the Cardinals at PNC Park.
Fortunately for him, and the Pirates, he did not fracture anything in his knee, instead suffering a contusion to the peroneal nerve. That will not require a surgery.
Regardless, his season is still over. He was placed on the 10-day injured list, which will run past the Sept. 27 finale.
Jason Martin will take his spot on the roster.
With one out in the inning Saturday, Genesis Cabrera’s 97 mph fastball ran too far inside and caught Newman’s back knee.
After some time on the ground, he left with his arm around the shoulders of two athletic trainers, keeping his left leg in the air and hopping with his right.
Following a breakout campaign in 2019, Newman has had a wicked sophomore slump this season, slashing .224/.281/.276 with one home run and 10 RBIs over 172 plate appearances. He went 0-for-3 with the hit by pitch in his final game Saturday.
Nobody has been more frustrated with that regression than Newman.
"I hope to get better every year," Newman said before the game Saturday. "Do I think I did that? No. I don't think I’ve performed nearly to how I’m capable of [performing]. I'm not happy with how I played, by any means. I'm going to use that as fuel going into the offseason."