Notes: Urías ready; pair vies for No. 5 spot
PHOENIX -- Luis Urías is ready to take the field in a Brewers uniform for the first time.
The 22-year-old shortstop was scheduled to make his spring debut Thursday in a split-squad game against the D-backs at Salt River Fields in Scottsdale before it was rained out and subsequently MLB decided to suspend Spring Training games and to delay the start of the 2020 regular season due to the national emergency created by the coronavirus pandemic.
Urías underwent surgery to repair a broken hamate bone in his left hand in late January, after he was traded from San Diego to Milwaukee on Nov. 27.
Brewers manager Craig Counsell said Urías is right on time in his recovery. He added that Urías had been pushing to get into a game after he started taking live batting practice Sunday.
“I’m glad he’s back on the field; he’s thrilled to be back on the field,” Counsell said. “When you get traded and then you have to wait, I think that’s probably, from his perspective, it’s been a little more frustrating even. I’m excited for him.”
Over the last two seasons with the Padres, Urías batted .221/.318/.331 with six home runs and 29 RBIs in 83 games. This year, Urías is likely to get playing time in the infield for the Brewers, although it’s unclear how much he’ll play or at which positions.
“We’ll just see when we get to the end if we feel like we got him enough prep time,” Counsell said. “We’re tight. We’re a little tight, especially for a young player. He’s been off for a pretty good amount of time.”
Peralta, Burnes slated to make team
With left-hander Eric Lauer sidelined by a left shoulder impingement, right-handers Freddy Peralta and Corbin Burnes are battling for the No. 5 spot in the Brewers’ rotation. However, Counsell said on Wednesday that both hurlers are in line to make the team.
One will be in the rotation and the other will head to the bullpen, not the Minors.
“We know Freddy is somewhere on the team, I can tell you that. And I could tell you that Corbin is somewhere on the team,” Counsell said. “But how we deploy them is yet to be determined. … Basically, because we’re down one starter, I think that changes the equation there.”
Burnes is having a terrific spring after a tough 2019 season. He’s allowed only one run over 10 Cactus League innings and has struck out 13. Peralta has also pitched well, as he tossed 4 1/3 solid innings in Wednesday’s rain-shortened 4-1 loss to the Dodgers at Camelback Ranch, allowing three hits and two walks while striking out eight. He was charged with three runs allowed, but two scored after his departure.
Although Peralta and Burnes likely won’t both be starting games for the Crew to open the year, Counsell reiterated that situations can change due to injuries and he knows both will factor into the club’s rotation plans in 2020.
“Corbin Burnes is going to start games for the Milwaukee Brewers this year, I’m very confident in that. Freddy Peralta is going to start games for us,” Counsell said. “We’re going to need nine to 10 players to start games for us at some point during the season.”
Peralta, who has made 22 starts and 33 relief appearances for the Crew over the last two seasons, is prepared for any role.
“I don’t know where I’m going to be, if I’m going to be starting or in the bullpen,” Peralta said. “But what I know is that I’m ready for starting or to be in the bullpen. I feel comfortable in both.”
Injury updates
• Lauer (left shoulder impingement) played catch on Wednesday, marking the first time he had done so since being shut down following his start on March 1. Counsell said if all goes well, Lauer will continue to play catch.
“We’ve got to get him symptom-free,” Counsell said. “We’ve been strengthening for about a week.”
• Right-hander Devin Williams returned to the mound vs. the Dodgers after getting a few days off due to what Counsell called “dead arm.” Williams hadn’t been throwing, but Counsell said it was “nothing serious.”
• Right-hander Ray Black (back soreness) threw a bullpen session on Wednesday and is scheduled to pitch in a Minor League game on Friday. He resumed playing catch on Monday after not pitching in a Cactus League game since March 1.