PITTSBURGH -- Rockies first baseman Justin Morneau is making one last attempt to make sure 2015 isn't a lost season. Unable to play in the Majors since May because of concussion symptoms and a cervical neck strain, Morneau underwent months of rehab, and on Friday, he finally began an injury rehab assignment at Double-A New Britain.
Morneau, 34, won the National League batting crown last year but has been limited to 27 games in 2015 (.290, three homers, nine RBIs). With Morneau near the end of a two-year contract that has a $9 million mutual option for 2016 (or a $750,000 buyout), Ben Paulsen and Kyle Parker appear to be a logical first-base platoon, but manager Walt Weiss said there is room for Morneau if he can make it back.