Shuckers’ Wilkerson steps away from baseball with baby on the way

Biloxi Shuckers starting pitcher Aaron Wilkerson was placed on the temporary inactive list on Monday, and for good reason.

His wife, Anna, is due to deliver a baby girl any day now. Wilkerson has returned to his home state of Texas to be with his wife as they prepare to have their first child.

Wilkerson, a 6-foot-3 right-hander, is 2-2 with a 3.26 ERA in four starts this season. He has 25 strikeouts compared to just six walks in 19 1/3 innings.

To make up for Wilkerson's absence, right-hander Josh Uhen was added to the Biloxi roster from extended spring training.

Uhen had a 3.09 ERA with 33 strikeouts and 11 walks in the first of the 2016 season at Class-A Brevard County (Fla.) before being promoted to Biloxi. With the Shuckers, he was 1-0 with a 0.00 ERA in four appearances.

Uhen was Milwaukee's fifth-round selection in 2013 out of Wisc.-Milwaukee.

Wilkerson was acquired from the Boston Red Sox last season in a trade that sent Aaron Hill to Boston.

Join the Krewe

The Biloxi Shuckers announced Monday the launch of Schooner’s Kids Krewe, which is presented by Smallcakes Cupcakes and Creamery.

Cost of membership to join Schooner's Kids Krew is $40 and includes tickets to five Shuckers games this summer. The dates of the games are May 7, June 11, June 25, July 16 and August 13.

Members will also receive a Kids Krewe credential and t-shirt, exclusive Smallcakes rewards at Kids Krewe games and Smallcakes, a 10% discount card to Shuckers Shop, a birthday card from Schooner the Seagull, invitation to Schooner’s first birthday party with pregame parade and the 2017 season Kids Krewe team photo.

For information on how to sign up for Schooner’s Kids Krewe, visit BiloxiShuckers.com.

Power surge

Runs have not been easy to come by for the Biloxi Shuckers this season, but Michael Reed has flashed nice power at the plate.

The right-handed batter has provided four of the team's nine home runs this season. He is batting .236 with six RBIs and a team-leading 10 runs scored.

Reed is tied atop the Southern League for the home run lead along with Jackson's Kevin Cron, Courtney Hawkins of Birmingham and Dawel Lugo of Jackson.

While Reed's batting average may be lacking, his on-base percentage stands at a solid .417 through 18 games. He has walked a whopping 17 times in 55 at-bats this season. The second closest Shucker to that number is Dustin Demuth, who has walked seven times.

The Shuckers have yet to score more than seven runs in a game this season and have a team batting average of .200.

Reed is easily on pace to set a new single-season career high for home runs after hitting eight at Triple-A Colorado Springs last season.

The 24-year-old Reed was selected by the Brewers in the fifth round of the 2011 draft out of Cedar Park, Texas.

Simple transition

Nick Ramirez, who spent the last two seasons as a first baseman for Biloxi, has made a smooth transition to pitcher.

Ramirez is 1-0 with a 2.45 ERA in in 7 1/3 innings over seven appearances out of the bullpen this season. The left-hander, who was a closer in college at Cal State-Fullerton, has four strikeouts and six walks.

Ramirez is still seeing the occasional at-bat and he hit a home run last week. He is 1-for-3 at the plate this season.

This story was originally published April 25, 2017 at 11:33 AM with the headline "Shuckers’ Wilkerson steps away from baseball with baby on the way."