Urías 'ready to go' for Brewers; LoMo DFA'd

MILWAUKEE -- Patience and perseverance paid dividends for Brewers infielder Luis Urías, who not only found himself in the Majors on Monday, but started at second base against the Twins.

Urías went 1-for-4 in the Brewers’ 4-2 loss vs. Minnesota, singling in his first at-bat and scoring the team’s first run following an unexpectedly long road to Miller Park. He was supposed to compete to be the Opening Day shortstop after being acquired from the Padres with lefty Eric Lauer last November. But Urías missed all of the club's shortened Spring Training while recovering from surgery for a fractured hamate bone in his left hand, then missed all of Summer Camp following a positive test for COVID-19. After a few weeks at the team’s alternate training site in Appleton, Wisc., the Brewers called Urías up to the Majors and designated for assignment first baseman/DH Logan Morrison.

“We wanted Urías to be part of this team from the time we traded for him, from the onset,” Brewers manager Craig Counsell said. “We've talked to him about that, ‘When you're ready to go, you're going to be part of this team.’ So as far as knowing exactly when the right time is, he's been in Appleton for two and a half, three weeks, which is the same length of the Summer Camp that everybody else went through. … He’s ready to go.”

That was an understatement. After Monday's loss, Urías for the first time talked about the frustration of being sidelined for weeks by COVID-19 despite having virtually no symptoms.

“It was tough, you know?” he said. “Obviously, I wanted to be out there with the guys, getting better. … I didn’t have any symptoms at all. I remember when I got here, I got tested and I felt like I had some allergies. You know, my eyes, they were super red. But thank God, it didn’t hit me hard. That’s all I got from the virus. It could have been worse.”

Urías remained in Milwaukee while awaiting the two consecutive negative tests, at least 24 hours apart, that he needed to return to baseball activity, per MLB protocol. Once he was cleared by doctors, he began searching for a Milwaukee park to work out in, but says he was turned away several times because those spaces were closed.

Finally, Urías was assigned to the Brewers’ alternate training site. He figures he got about 50 at-bats there.

“I will say I feel 100 percent ready,” he said.

The way the Brewers’ roster is constructed, Urías is most likely to see time at second base and shortstop. He could also play third base in certain circumstances, Counsell said.

The news that Urías had finally been cleared to play for the Brewers was welcomed in the clubhouse.

“I got to know him fairly well, because he was in Arizona when Spring Training was kind of shut down and we were still working out at the facility,” said regular second baseman Keston Hiura. “I was able to see him three to four times a week, learn more about him, more about his game, what type of player and person he is. …

“[Urías has endured] a lot of unlucky circumstances here, but we’re glad he’s back and we’re excited to see what he brings to the team.”

The 23-year-old Urías once ranked as San Diego’s top prospect, and he slashed .221/.318/.331 in 302 plate appearances for the Padres from 2018-19.

Morrison was unable to parlay success in Spring Training into the delayed regular season after making the Opening Day roster as a non-roster invitee. He had three hits, including a double and a home run, with eight strikeouts in 25 at-bats while serving as the Brewers' first baseman and designated hitter.

“Sometimes you just don't get a lot of time because of the circumstances, and that was this situation,” Counsell said. “I think if you're hot and we need you in the lineup [it could be different]. I don't know. I also don't think 20 plate appearances is necessarily the judge of that. From when the season started, we kind of knew this day was going to be coming, whether it be -- when we cut rosters down, I think is when we really knew this day was going to be coming. It got lengthened a little bit with Ryan [Braun’s finger] injury, but other than that we knew it was coming.”

Morrison was rather transparent during Spring Training and at the start of Summer Camp that he would elect free agency if not on the Brewers’ active roster. If he clears waivers and is not traded during the DFA period, that would be an option for the veteran slugger.

Braun gets ABs in Appleton
Speaking of Braun, he should soon be an option to replace Morrison’s at-bats at first base and DH. Braun has been on the 10-day injured list while recovering from a procedure for an infection in his right index finger, but he reported to the team’s alternate training site on Monday to appear in a five-inning game scheduled there.

“[Sunday] was a good day” for Braun, Counsell said. “He took batting practice on the field, threw. He had a really good day.”

Counsell did not put a timetable on Braun’s return, but historically Braun has needed only limited at-bats to feel ready for live action.

“I think that still stands," Counsell said. "I think the fact that he doesn’t need a lot of at-bats stands, I just think that he hasn’t gotten a lot of at-bats at this point. They’ve been scattered. He hasn’t gotten consistent at-bats at any points yet."

MLB Network picks up Brewers-Cubs game Friday
In addition to the Fox Sports Wisconsin telecast of the Brewers-Cubs game from Wrigley Field on Friday, MLB Network will air a first-of-its kind broadcast of the game with Greg Amsinger, Dan Plesac and Harold Reynolds calling the game using unique elements of the network’s signature program, MLB Tonight. At different points of the game, the MLB Network telecast will shift to a two-box format and whip around to live look-ins of key moments from other games across MLB.

Amsinger, Plesac and Reynolds will do rapid demonstrations on key plays from the game in Studio 42, MLB Network’s replica baseball field studio, and they will host in-game interviews with personnel from the Brewers and Cubs throughout the game. MLB Network reporter Jon Morosi will also contribute to the telecast on-site from Wrigley Field.

It's one of three broadcast formats being employed by MLB Network this week. On Monday, MLB Network aired a traditional broadcast of the Nationals-Mets game, and on Tuesday, Brian Kenny, Cliff Floyd and MLB.com’s Sarah Langs will call the Nationals-Mets game with a Statcast-driven theme.