Lucroy visits specialist; concussion confirmed

PITTSBURGH -- After visiting a specialist early Saturday, Brewers catcher Jonathan Lucroy confirmed what he already felt, as he was diagnosed with a mild concussion.

Lucroy hopes to return to the field at some point this year, but there is no timetable for his recovery. He will have to go through a protocol determined by doctors and Major League Baseball and wait until he is completely medically cleared before rejoining Milwaukee's lineup.

"There's different testing and stuff they do that's confirmed by doctors that confirms whether I'm good or not," Lucroy said. "I'm just going with what they tell me to do."

A foul tip struck Lucroy on the left side of his jaw Tuesday night in Miami, and he said he's felt slow, foggy and slightly disoriented ever since.

"I felt a lot different than I had in the past, so I knew something was going on," Lucroy said.

Still, Lucroy said, the diagnosis could have been worse. On Saturday, he was already able to take some dry swings in an indoor batting cage at PNC Park.

"I know that higher-grade concussions, guys vomit and guys get sick. I haven't had anything like that," Lucroy said. "Guys are sensitive to light and sound, things like that. I'm not any of those.

"But that doesn't discount the fact that we have to take this seriously. If I go out too soon and I get hurt again, then you're talking some serious trouble."

Lucroy visited Dr. Michael Collins on Saturday at the UPMC Sports Medicine Concussion Program, a renowned facility in Pittsburgh that has treated a number of professional athletes.

"It was very informative," Lucroy said. "It was very convenient that the guy's here."

One thing Collins emphasized to Lucroy is that every patient heals differently. That's part of the reason why he's hesitant to put a timeline on his return.

"If he has symptoms still, we're not going to push that in any way. And then we get to a certain point where you consider what's left in the year and the risk of that," Brewers manager Craig Counsell said. "We'll consider that as we go forward. He wants to play, but he wants to be better first."

Around the horn
• Although Lucroy could be sidelined for quite some time, the Brewers will stick with the two catchers they have on their roster now: Martin Maldonado and Nevin Ashley, who was in Saturday's starting lineup.

• Double-A Biloxi right-hander Adrian Houser, acquired in the Carlos Gomez and Mike Fiers trade with Houston, threw a three-hit shutout in Game 2 of the Shuckers' postseason series against Pensacola on Friday night. Houser, 22, struck out 10 and threw 72 of his 99 pitches for strikes.

• Outfielder Daniel Fields, acquired Thursday from the Tigers, reported to Biloxi on Saturday.