MILWAUKEE -- The LoMo Show is coming to Miller Park.

In a move widely expected since he started hitting home runs back in Spring Training, the Brewers informed outspoken slugger Logan Morrison that he would be on the Opening Day roster. Reliever Justin Grimm received similar news, the club said.

Sunday marked five days from Opening Day, a deadline for clubs to inform certain veteran non-roster invitees like Morrison and Grimm whether they would make the cut. That the Brewers planned to give Morrison news in the affirmative seemed certain when the club announced Morrison would wear an earpiece and microphone for the brewers.com live stream of the team’s intrasquad game on Sunday.

“To be honest, [Brewers manager] Craig [Counsell] told me a couple of days ago. For me, it was just an inevitable day. I knew it was going to happen,” Morrison said. “You have to believe before you can do it, so I think that’s where it starts. I knew I was capable of it. I just needed the opportunity, and I got the opportunity with the Brewers. Now hopefully I get some opportunity during the season.”

Morrison impressed in the Cactus League, going 9-for-30 with three booming home runs, one of which smashed a sign beyond the walkway that cuts through the outfield grass at American Family Fields of Phoenix. His chances improved with the new rules associated with MLB’s planned 60-game regular season, including expanded active rosters -- 30 players for the first two weeks, 28 players for the two weeks after that and 26 players after that -- as well as the implementation of the designated hitter in the National League for 2020. Morrison smashed another home run, a three-run shot off Freddy Peralta, on Thursday in intrasquad action.

“I think Logan’s camp early in March in Phoenix made an impression, for sure,” Counsell said. “His body of work as a baseball player makes an impression. His skill set is, he’s a dangerous left-handed bat. That’s what he is.”

Morrison is three years removed from hitting 38 home runs for the Rays in 2017. A hip injury hobbled him in '18 with the Twins, and he spent most of '19 with the Yankees’ and Phillies’ Triple-A affiliates, slashing .308/.369/.640 in 233 Minor League plate appearances.

The Brewers could use Morrison in a number of roles: at first base with Justin Smoak and Ryan Braun, in one of the outfield corners -- where Morrison has been seeing action in Summer Camp -- as a DH or as a power bat off the bench.

Grimm has been equally impressive in camp, beginning with six innings in the Cactus League in which he allowed one hit and one run with four walks and nine strikeouts. Grimm pitched in at least 50 games for the Cubs in four consecutive seasons from 2014-17, but he had a back injury in ‘18 and pitched exclusively in the Minors in ’19.

Hiura hits, Lauer pitches; Braun still absent
Keston Hiura served as the designated hitter for the Brewers’ “Blue” team on Sunday in his first action since he was scratched last week due to fatigue in his throwing arm, and left-hander Eric Lauer made his intrasquad debut with a three-up, three-down, three-strikeout opening inning. Lauer had a late start to Summer Camp after a close contact tested positive for COVID-19, and while he never tested positive or had symptoms, protocol dictated that he stayed away from camp until he attained two consecutive negative tests.

But Braun remained absent from the starting lineups for the fifth time in as many games in the Blue-Gold Series.

What is sidelining the Brewers’ longest tenured player? Counsell has said it’s nothing more than the usual aches and pains for Braun, who has a surgically-repaired back that requires regular treatment.

“I mean, I’m still confident [Braun] is going to be fine, but we’re getting -- it’s Sunday. We’ve got three days of games left after today,” Counsell said. “He’s got to get on the field soon, yes.”

The Brewers have been aiming to get Braun 15 competitive at-bats before Opening Day, and Counsell said Braun already has five banked. The team has three exhibitions remaining; intrasquad games on Monday and Tuesday and a game against the White Sox at Guaranteed Rate Field on Wednesday night.

Counsell on Rasmussen: ‘There’s development left’
Hard-throwing pitching prospect Drew Rasmussen may well make his Major League debut in 2020 after shooting through Milwaukee’s Minor League system in the past year-plus, but he’s unlikely to break camp with the big club. Rasmussen more likely will be assigned to the Brewers’ alternate training site in Appleton, Wis.

“Look, the thing with Drew is he just finished his first full year of professional baseball,” Counsell said. “And so this is a good experience for him. He's got a big arm, but there's I think there's development left there that's really important. This is a guy who this season, we're trying to get the development that we can with him. But this is a season that's going to cost him some development, right?

“So, he’s just got to keep getting out on the mound, and that's what we're going to try to do our best with. He's going to start the year in Appleton, and we’ll try to do our best to get him on out on the mound a lot.”

Knebel’s velo looks good, Counsell says
Counsell said he likes what he sees so far from Corey Knebel, and he disputed the premise of a question suggesting Knebel’s velocity was a tick or two down from where it was when he last pitched in 2018, prior to Tommy John surgery.

“I think his velocity is right where he wants it to be,” Counsell said “Essentially this camp has been his Minor League rehab part of the process, I guess, plus we added a couple months of really just [a] throwing program -- the COVID time added that. But I think Corey is in a really good spot.”