Ex-Arizona star Kevin Newman brings 'stability' to D-backs

PHOENIX — Kevin Newman briefly found himself at a crossroads this spring.

Days ahead of the start of the Major League Baseball season, the Arizona Diamondbacks informed Newman he would not make the Opening Day roster.

Newman, who had signed with the Diamondbacks as a free agent in the offseason, decided to opt out of his contract. He wanted to see what opportunities existed around the league.

The University of Arizona product and former first-round draft pick quickly discovered that his options were limited. So a day after being released from his contract, the 30-year-old shortstop signed on again with the D-backs, this time to a minor league deal.

“I kind of weighed all my options and just thought it was a good spot here for me with what I bring to the table and with what the Diamondbacks could possibly need,” Newman said during a recent homestand.

The decision paid off for both player and team.

As Newman packed his bags for Reno in late March to play for the Diamondbacks’ Triple-A affiliate, he couldn’t foresee how much, or how soon, the organization would need his skills as an infielder.

Only one week into the MLB season, Arizona’s All-Star shortstop Geraldo Perdomo injured his knee and needed surgery to repair a torn meniscus. Newman was summoned to the big leagues on April 7, a mere week and a half after he initially opted out of his D-backs contract.

“You hate anytime someone gets injured, but to be able to step in and help the team and contribute, I think in that regard it was definitely a great decision for me and a great decision for the team,” Newman said.

Over the next two months, Newman became the Diamondbacks’ trusted starter at shortstop. As the reigning National League champions struggled out of the gate offensively, Newman was a bright spot in the lineup, where he batted .312 for the month of May.

Newman also gave the team a sure-handed defender in the infield.

“Kevin Newman has been unbelievable for this ball club,” D-backs manager Torey Lovullo said. Newman did his best to impress the organization during spring training, Lovullo said, but never got into the kind of rhythm he got himself in during his stretch as the Diamondbacks’ everyday shortstop.

Newman arrived in Arizona this spring after a one-year stay in Cincinnati, where he appeared in 74 games, batting .253 with 28 RBIs.

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In 53 appearances this year, Newman has nearly as many hits (47) as he did with the Reds in all of 2023 (57). He’s hitting .290 with Arizona, and Newman credits his improvement at the plate to working with Diamondbacks coaches on changing his swing direction.

“I’m just trying to keep it simple,” Newman said. “Doing my work in the cage and then when the game shows up just trying to clear my mind up and not do too much.”

Newman’s geographical familiarity has also helped free his mind. Newman played three seasons at Arizona (2013-15), making the Pac-12 All-Conference team every year.

The Poway, California, native was selected 19th overall by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 2015 MLB Draft. He spent the first eight years of his career in the Pirates organization before jumping to the Reds last season.

Newman, who spends the offseason in the Phoenix area with his wife and children, was ready to return out West.

“Being over here, there’s some comfortability,” Newman said. “I have some family in Arizona, still have family in San Diego, we’re all in this area so that’s been really nice.”

Within the Diamondbacks clubhouse, Newman has another former Wildcat he can turn to in reliever Kevin Ginkel. Though the two Kevins missed each by a year in Tucson playing for the UA, they’ve become closer this season, drawing on their days in Tucson as well as their backgrounds as former top prep players from the San Diego area.

“I feel like he brings some stability,” Ginkel said. “From a defensive standpoint he’s solid in the field. I know when balls are hit to him he’s going to make plays. I feel like offensively, too, he’s not afraid of trying to go the other way with a line drive or move a guy over.”

Newman’s skills as a utility infielder are valued by the front office, as evidenced by the club’s decision to keep him on the roster once Perdomo came back from his injury earlier in June.

Since Perdomo’s return, Newman has made four starts at shortstop, including Thursday’s 5-2 win over the Washington Nationals, in which he delivered an RBI single.

Newman is nevertheless fighting to keep his spot on the team, competing alongside rookie infielder Blaze Alexander and the underperforming third baseman Eugenio Suarez. The D-backs are expected to call up outfielder Alek Thomas in the next week, and when they do, one of Newman, Alexander or Suarez will likely get dropped.

For now, Newman is taking this opportunity a game at a time.