Frazier back; Newman hurt; Underwood deal

BRADENTON, Fla. -- The Pirates welcomed back their everyday second baseman on Sunday in their 13-1 win over the Orioles at LECOM Park, but they may lose another middle infielder in the short term.

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Adam Frazier batted leadoff for the Pirates, going 2-for-3 in his first spring game after being set back with right groin tightness. Kevin Newman also had two hits in the contest, but he was forced to exit the game after three innings with left hamstring tightness. He was replaced by Ji-Hwan Bae at shortstop.

Newman has been off to a fantastic start in spring, hitting 6-for-8 with a double and three walks following a down season in which he hit .224 in 44 games. Pirates manager Derek Shelton said the move to take him out of the game was precautionary.

“He felt it a little bit,” Shelton said, “and with the off-day coming, he wasn’t going to go out and play much more anyway, so we just felt for the betterment of being conservative.”

Regarding Frazier, Shelton said it could be as early as Tuesday that the second baseman might be back fielding his position.

Frazier was the Pirates’ designated hitter on Sunday as the team eased him into action, but he was forced to test his legs in the fourth inning. He sprinted down the line for a single before going first to third on a Jacob Stallings hit, then scoring on a Phillip Evans single.

“Those were all good things, good tests,” Shelton said. “You can run the bases like we did before he plays, but you never really get into game speed.”

Bucs add Underwood
The Pirates announced on Sunday that they acquired Duane Underwood Jr. from the Cubs for Minor League infielder Shendrik Apostel. To clear a spot on the 40-man roster, Pittsburgh designated for assignment Carson Fulmer.

Underwood, 26, has pitched in three Major League seasons, recording a 5.20 ERA with 43 strikeouts in 36 1/3 innings with Chicago. The right-handed reliever was selected by the Cubs in the second round of the 2012 Draft.

“When we started talking about him and talked to [pitching coach Oscar Marin and bullpen coach Justin Meccage] about his stuff, I know we like that,” Shelton said. “That’s always first and foremost.”

Shelton said the club will need to get a look at Underwood in camp before deciding on a role for him, but the initial thought is to use him as a multi-inning reliever. Underwood was primarily a starter in the Minor Leagues (125 starts in 160 games) before being used almost exclusively as a reliever in the Majors (29 relief appearances in 30 games).

Apostel, 20, is a 6-foot-5 first-base prospect who last played in the Dominican Summer League in 2019, when he posted an .872 OPS with five homers in 25 games.

Stallings does something rare
Jacob Stallings was front and center on Sunday, when he was mic’d up for the first three innings, including while he was behind the plate. But he also did something as unusual for him on the basepaths.

In the third inning, Stallings and Evans executed a double steal with one out and Evan Phillips pitching for the Orioles. The last time Stallings stole a base in a Major League game -- regular season or spring -- was on Oct. 1, 2016. It remains his only stolen base in a regular-season game.

“That’s what we’re looking for,” Shelton said. “I was just really excited he didn’t pick up third base, a la Rickey Henderson holding it over his head. He was pretty excited about getting that bag.”

Up next
The Pirates have an off-day on Monday before taking on the Braves at CoolToday Park on Tuesday, when Steven Brault will start. He’s slated to be followed by Miguel Yajure, Sam Howard, Sean Poppen, Nick Mears, Edgar Santana and Chris Stratton.

Shelton said Monday will be a true day off for the team.

“If it was a non-COVID year, [we] might have some sort of team-building exercise,” Shelton said. “But the fact that we only have two [off-days], it’s a nice opportunity for guys that do have their families here to be able to spend some time with them and do that.”