Injuries & Moves: Mitchell activated from IL
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LATEST NEWS
July 1: OF Garrett Mitchell activated from 60-day IL; 1B Tyler Black optioned to Triple-A Nashville; UTIL Owen Miller designated for assignment
Mitchell is due a run of good luck after another early-season injury cost him a chunk of time. Last year, he went down in mid-April with a right shoulder injury and didn't return until the final series of the regular season. This year, he fractured his left index finger in the final week of Spring Training and missed the first three months. But he was active and available off the bench for Monday's series opener at Coors Field after posting a 1.040 OPS in 52 plate appearances on rehab assignment for Triple-A Nashville.
"I feel like I got to touch upon everything I wanted to down there," Mitchell said. "We'll just continue to build the confidence back here. ... I never felt like throughout the whole process there was a hurdle. When you come into Spring Training, you have to get all of the soreness out and get back into baseball shape again. I went from zero to 100 playing nine innings, so the biggest part was getting through the soreness initially. But it felt good to get some quality games and innings under my belt."
10-DAY/15-DAY INJURED LIST
LHP Jared Koenig (left forearm tendinitis)
Expected return: After the All-Star break
Koenig was one of the Brewers' most versatile and valuable pitchers in the first three months of the season, going 7-1 with a 1.66 ERA in 29 games (38 innings) before abruptly landing on the injured list June 29 with left forearm tendinitis. Subsequent imaging revealed good news, according to manager Pat Murphy, who said the initial read was that Koenig has swelling near his elbow but no signs of tears. For the moment, the Brewers believe Koenig avoided major injury. (Last updated: July 1)
INF Oliver Dunn (back strain)
Expected return: At least four weeks
Dunn was placed on the injured list, retroactive to June 19, on June 26. In 41 games with the big league club this season, he's slashed .221/.282/.316 with seven RBIs and six walks. (Last updated: June 29)
C Gary Sánchez (left calf strain)
Expected return: Mid-July
Sánchez was scratched from a June 25 start against the Rangers and placed on the IL the next day when an MRI scan revealed a low-grade strain, according to GM Matt Arnold. The Brewers didn't anticipate an extended IL stint at the time of that move. (Last updated: June 26)
60-DAY INJURED LIST
LHP DL Hall (left knee sprain)
Expected return: July
Hall, who'd been struggling to establish himself as a starter before he tweaked his left knee fielding a bunt on April 20, had a rehab assignment cut short in May before resuming it on June 13 with Triple-A Nashville. During a June 30 update, manager Pat Murphy said Hall would have at least one more outing in the Minors before club officials determine whether to bring him back to the Majors. They would also have to decide whether to continue stretching him out as a possible starting pitcher, or bring him back to the bullpen. (Last updated: June 30)
RHP Devin Williams (back stress fractures)
Expected return: Late July
The Brewers' closer, who won the Trevor Hoffman Award as the best closer in the National League with 36 saves and a 1.53 ERA last season, threw off a mound for the first time on June 26, a 20-pitch session in which Williams used his full arsenal and reported feeling strong. He will keep progressing toward a simulated game tentatively scheduled for July 9. With continued progress, Williams is on track to be pitching in the Majors "roughly in the middle to end of July" if all goes right, said GM Matt Arnold, who stressed that there is some variance in that timetable.
"Getting that kind of guy back, acquiring the reliever of the year at the Deadline, would be a good thing for this team," Arnold said. (Last updated: June 28)
RHP Joe Ross (low back strain)
Expected return: Late July at the earliest
Ross was placed on the IL on May 21 after he exited his May 20 start having thrown just one inning (15 pitches). The Brewers had hoped he would be ready to return from the IL during the team's June 17-23 trip to play the Angels and Padres, but he had a setback and was shifted to the 60-day IL on June 26. He won't be ready until late July at the earliest, GM Matt Arnold said.
"It's just one of those things we want to take slow because we need those innings," Arnold said. "Having him built up for the second half is really important." (Last updated: June 26)
LHP Robert Gasser (left flexor strain; *No. 4 on Brewers Top Prospects list*)
Expected return: 2025
After electing to undergo season-ending Tommy John surgery on the advice of two of the top orthopedic surgeons in the country, Gasser had his procedure -- a standard UCL repair without the brace -- on June 24 and is expected to miss 12-14 months, according to Brewers manager Pat Murphy. It's an unfortunate blow for the 25-year-old left-hander, who was 2-0 with a 2.57 ERA in five Brewers starts beginning with his May 10 Major League debut against the Cardinals.
"I feel bad for the kid," Murphy said. "Think about all the fresh faces we've had up here this year, and nobody had the first five starts like he did. That hurts." (Last updated: June 25)
RHP J.B. Bukauskas (right shoulder inflammation)
Expected return: TBD
Bukauskas began a rehab assignment at Triple-A Nashville on June 13 and reported feeling fine after pitching his one scheduled inning, but he woke up the next morning in significant discomfort and returned to Milwaukee for an MRI scan on June 15. That scan came back clean, manager Pat Murphy said on June 17, a bit of good news that means Bukauskas will be able to resume throwing once his discomfort subsides. (Last updated: June 17)
LHP Wade Miley (torn UCL)
Expected return: 2025
Miley will miss the remainder of 2024 due to UCL surgery, which typically requires a 10- to 12-month rehab. The surgery was completed on May 7 in Cincinnati, with Dr. Timothy Kremchek operating. Miley underwent testing April 23 on his left elbow to try to diagnose inflammation that he said felt different from the usual bone spurs-related pain he has tried to manage for the past three to four years, and the results initially came back inconclusive on April 24.
Miley flew to Cincinnati that day to have an in-person meeting with doctors and undergo an arthrogram to assess the integrity of the ligaments in the region, which confirmed the structural damage. He was transferred to the 60-day IL on April 30. (Last updated: May 7)
RHP Brandon Woodruff (right shoulder)
Expected return: Late 2024 or 2025
Woodruff underwent shoulder surgery on his throwing arm in October 2023 and was non-tendered by the Brewers the following month. He signed a two-year deal with the club on Feb. 21, when he was placed on the 60-day IL, and will rehab in Milwaukee throughout the season after beginning a throwing program in mid-February. (Last updated: Feb. 21)