Infielder Isaiah Byars Back for Kentucky After Missing Six Weeks Due to Injury

Kentucky baseball has been one of the few teams in the SEC to not get totally ravaged with injuries at some point this season. Others, such as South Carolina — Kentucky's opponent this weekend — haven't been near as lucky.

The bullpen hasn't seen 100-percent health over the past few weeks due to the absence of Seth Chavez, but its depth has been a major plus, cushioning that blow. The bench depth isn't as reliable, however.

UK has played 43 games so far this season. Of the 15 players that have taken an at-bat, six of them have played in 40 or more games. Two others have played at least 35. There hasn't been much wiggle room in the batting order for those on the bench to try and barge their way into the batters box.

Outfielder James McCoy is hitting .202 and has been relegated to the pine for most of SEC play. Outfielder Kendal Ewell has been given some sparse run at designated hitter, but is batting .167. Backup catcher Chase Stanke sits at .222 having played in 21 games, most of which were at DH, while infielder Patrick Herrera and two-way player Ryder Giles combine for only seven ABs.

If any of Kentucky's starters were to go down with an injury, the replacement option would statistically be some sort of downgrade at this point in the year. There is now an option that could provide a spark if given the opportunity, however.

Following UK's final loss at Vanderbilt on Sunday, head coach Nick Mingione confirmed to Wildcats Today that infielder Isaiah Byars — who opened the season as the team's starting third baseman — is once again available after not playing since March 12 due to injury.

"He's back, finally this weekend he was available," Mingione said. "So that's good, it's another piece."

Byars, who transferred to UK from North Florida, had played just 10 games as a Wildcat this season. He has just three hits in 27 ABs, all of which came in a midweek win over Evansville on Feb. 21. His last game before hitting the shelf was on the Cats' road trip at Southern Illinois.

The senior out of Stone Mountain, Ga. began his career at Alabama before transferring to junior college, then UNF in 2021. He played 32 games for the Ospreys that season, but excelled in 2022 at shortstop, playing in 50 games, slashing .330/.387/.478, tallying 19 extra-base hits and 16 stolen bases. He batted leadoff and was named First Team All-ASUN.

Byars was then one of the many players plucked out of the transfer portal by Mingione and UK. He started off slow and hasn't had the opportunity to get going, meanwhile Jase Felker has made the most of his opportunity starting at 3B, as he's currently slashing .310/.451/.365 across 37 games.

It's unlikely that Byars will get shoved back into the lineup at this point in the season, but having his speed and tools as an option off the bench for Mingione could be important, if a certain situation arises.

Kentucky has 10 games left on the regular season docket, nine of which are against ranked SEC opponents. The Cats will return to action on Friday, May 5 for the first of three games against No. 3 South Carolina. First pitch is set for 6:30 p.m. EST and will air on SEC Network+.

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