Kevin

Newman

Newman will get a chance to win a job with the Royals in spring training. The former first-round pick was atrocious in his limited action with the Angels last year as seen in a slash of .202/.209/.272.

The 32-year-old infielder had 116 plate appearances with the Angels in 2025, slashing a woeful .202/.209/.272 with two home runs and 11 RBI before getting released in early August. He finished the season on a minor league deal with the Tigers, spending all of his time at Triple-A Toledo. At this stage of his career, he’ll likely have to settle for a minor league contract with an invitation to major league camp — hopefully where he can fight for a reserve role on a team’s Opening Day roster.

The 32-year-old infielder was cut loose by the Angels at the start of August after hitting .202/.209/.272 with a pair of homers, 11 RBI and one swipe in 116 plate appearances. He’s in the lineup at Triple-A Toledo on Saturday night.

Newman was designated for assignment after Thursday’s deadline and went unclaimed. The former first-round pick will be a free agent, and likely will be looking at a minor league deal for the remainder of 2025.

The Angels needed to clear a spot on their 40-man roster on Thursday for the acquisition of Oswald Peraza from the Yankees. Newman, 31, slashed a pitiful .202/.209/.272 with two homers, 11 RBI and one stolen base in 116 plate appearances with the Halos. It’s very unlikely that anyone is going to come calling on waivers, though Newman could ultimately refuse an outright assignment to Triple-A Salt Lake and choose to hit the open market.

It’s possible Moncada would’ve taken a seat anyway with lefty Patrick Corbin toeing the rubber for Texas in this one. The 30-year-old third baseman will sit out his third straight contest since being hit by a pitch on the right hand during Saturday’s showdown against Seattle. He remains day-to-day for now. It’ll be Kevin Newman once again at the hot corner in his absence.

Moncada sits for the second straight game after being hit by a pitch during Saturday’s showdown against Seattle. X-rays came back negative on the 30-year-old third baseman’s right hand and he’s considered day-to-day for now. It’ll be veteran Kevin Newman taking over at the hot corner on Monday night in his absence.

A little bit of a surprise considering Moncada was in the lineup on a consistent basis prior to the All-Star break. Hopefully this is just a day off for the 30-year-old, but for now, Kevin Newman is playing third and hitting ninth.

There’s been no indication that Neto will require a trip to the injured list, and he’s been able to come off the bench to pinch-hit in each of the previous two games, but the Angels are going to give him some extra time off to rest and recover with Monday’s off-day looming. It’ll be veteran Kevin Newman handling shortstop in his absence. The 24-year-old shortstop figures to be ready for Tuesday’s series opener against Atlanta at Truist Park.

Newman broke the game open with a three-run blast in the seventh inning to turn a 3-2 lead into a 6-2 cushion. The 31-year-old is playing while Zach Neto (shoulder) isn’t healthy enough to start, and even with the homer and another hit, he’s slashing .202/.212/.262 over 84 at-bats.