Sogard begins rehab with Class A Wisconsin
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PITTSBURGH -- Brewers manager Craig Counsell confirmed that veteran utility man Eric Sogard played second base in a rehab assignment with Class A Wisconsin on Wednesday night to test his injured left ankle. The Brewers will then determine the next step for Sogard from there
"We will see where we are at," Counsell said. "We are hopeful that he improves his health over the next couple of days."
Sogard has provided a spark as the leadoff man in the Brewers' lineup, hitting .331/.438/.485 since being called up from Triple-A Colorado Springs on May 12, but he hasn't played in a game since July 4. The Brewers placed him on the 10-day disabled list on July 6.
Braun gets Wednesday off
The Brewers gave outfielder Ryan Braun a day off on Wednesday after he played five straight games since the All-Star break. The Brewers continue to closely monitor Braun, who has been on the disabled list twice this season.
"We are going to have to be careful going forward. His wrist is a little sore today. His calf is a little sore," Counsell said. "But we are going to have to be cautious the rest of the year."
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Bruan has missed 39 games due to injuries this season and re-aggravated his calf injury again right before the All-Star break, but he entered Wednesday's game on five-game hitting streak since the break.
"He's been in and out of the lineup, so we got five days out of him in a row, which is a good sign, I think, moving forward," Counsell said. "But we have to try to stay ahead of things and when he gets little tweaks just stay ahead of them and know that we got depth and that's been a big part of our season."
Shaw's homer milestone
Brewers third baseman Travis Shaw joined exclusive company on Tuesday night, becoming the second Brewer to smack a home run into the Allegheny River. Prince Fielder was the first to do it in May 2006.
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Shaw has been hitting the ball all over the place in July, slashing .349/.429/.698 with four home runs and 12 RBIs in 12 games this month entering Wednesday's game against the Pirates.
"I think Travis is in a good spot right now," Counsell said. "I think he is covering a lot of the strike zone, for sure. That's kind of what hitters do when they are in their best stretches, is they cover a whole bunch of the strike zone, and I think the big thing is when you get mistakes you make pitchers pay for them. … And he's certainly made pitchers pay for mistakes. He's done really good job of that. He's having a tremendous season."