Crew faces decision with Miley after groin tear

PHOENIX -- With their initial MRI results in hand, Boone Logan was slated for further medical tests Thursday while the Brewers worked through contractual complications with Wade Miley. But it was clear that both left-handers are out of the running for the Brewers' active Opening Day roster.
Logan, who had been ticketed for the Brewers' bullpen, suffered a left triceps strain in Wednesday's win over the A's and will open the regular season on the 10-day disabled list. Miley, who was vying for the starting rotation as a non-roster invitee and was on the cusp of making the team before sustaining a left groin strain in the same game, will be shut down at least two weeks after an MRI scan revealed a slight muscle tear.
"This is unusual timing. We have a player who had an injury the day before decisions had to be made," said general manager David Stearns, referring to a Thursday "out" in Miley's Minor League contract.
By day's end, Stearns and Miley's agent, Tom O'Connell, had an agreement to keep Miley in the organization while he rehabs. The Brewers will pay Miley the $100,000 retention bonus he's due Saturday as a veteran non-roster invitee, and he will remain on his Minor League contract.
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Had he made the Brewers' Major League roster on Opening Day, even on the disabled list, Miley would have been guaranteed a $2.5 million salary, with an additional $3.2 million available in incentives.
Brewers manager Craig Counsell lamented the "cruel timing" of Miley's injury. Miley called it "unbelievable," and indicated first thing Thursday morning that he hoped to stay with the organization.
"Obviously, I wouldn't put a hurt guy on the roster, so we have to get through some stuff like that," Miley said. "I'm open for anything. Obviously, there's not people handing out jobs right now anywhere else. I love it here, so hopefully we can work something out."

With Miley sidelined, the Brewers have left-hander Brent Suter and right-handers Junior Guerra and Brandon Woodruff in camp vying for rotation spots behind Chase Anderson, Zach Davies and Jhoulys Chacín. Suter, Guerra and Woodruff each have Minor League options.
Suter and Guerra are also candidates for the bullpen, which has five of eight spots spoken for with Logan out of the mix. Among the other bullpen candidates is a right-hander who is best against left-handed hitters and also happens to be out of options, Oliver Drake.
Logan does not expect to have a firm timetable for recovery until next week, perhaps while the Brewers are in Houston for exhibition games ahead of Opening Day in San Diego. That's when the team would have to place Logan on the 10-day DL.
The good news, Logan said, is that the injury is not in exactly the same area as the left lat tear that derailed his 2017 season in Cleveland. It's essentially in his armpit -- close enough, Stearns said, to demand further tests.

"The initial feedback is that it's pretty minor," Stearns said. "Certainly, our hope is that this is just a blip. We get him a little bit of downtime and he comes back."

"That actually put a smile on my face that it wasn't that," Logan said. "Hopefully it won't be that long, but I don't know."
As of Thursday, the Brewers were one week shy of their regular-season opener against the Padres in San Diego.
"It's what you have to prepare for, and it's why you have numbers," Counsell said. "I feel good about covering for it, and then [Logan and Miley] become depth during the season, and really good depth."