The Brewers opened the second half with a win, but the celebration came with a hit to the outfield depth chart.
Milwaukee beat the Miami Marlins 2-1 on Friday behind a strong start from Logan Henderson, who worked five innings and allowed one run. The bullpen finished the job from there, with Chad Patrick, Aaron Ashby, Abner Uribe, Trevor Megill and Craig Yoho combining for five shutout innings. Yoho picked up the win and dropped his season ERA to 2.57.
The bigger concern came after the game, when Sal Frelick was forced out with right shoulder soreness. Brewers manager Pat Murphy said Frelick had a "little issue" earlier in the season and doesn't expect him back "anytime soon," according to MLB.com's Adam McCalvy.
"Sal tried to make a throw in the outfield and he felt it. He's had a little issue earlier this season.
We don't want to take any chances. ... I suspect he won't be able to go anytime soon.
That's what it looks like," Murphy said.
That’s a tough break for Milwaukee, especially with Frelick finally finding his rhythm. The 26-year-old scuffled early, but since June 9 he has hit .269/.313/.385 with a .698 OPS, along with one homer, 11 RBIs, six doubles and eight runs scored in 29 games. He’s also been a major asset defensively in right field.
The Brewers do have a replacement option ready after promoting No. 4 prospect Luis Lara to the majors. That gives Milwaukee a possible outfield alignment of Jackson Chourio, Garrett Mitchell and Lara.
Even with that group, losing Frelick stings. The Brewers have spent much of the season dealing with injuries, and the list is still growing.
Brandon Woodruff, Kyle Harrison and Quinn Priester are all out from the starting rotation, with Priester finished for the year and Woodruff expected to provide an update after a second opinion on his shoulder injury Sunday. Harrison’s return remains unclear, though he has been making progress.
Now the club has another hole to patch in right field, and the next-man-up approach continues.
In Other News...
Brewers Farm System Shuffle Suddenly Puts Nashville And Biloxi In Focus
The Brewers kept their farm system moving Friday, with Nashville and Biloxi doing a lot of the heavy lifting in the latest round of roster churn. Milwaukee optioned left-hander Jared Koenig to the Sounds, Nashville moved on from shortstop Eddys Leonard, and Cameron Wagoner and Jacob Hurtubise were both sent to Nashville from Biloxi, a set of moves that underscores how active the organization has been at the affiliate level.
It came against the backdrop of a tough night for Nashville, which dropped a game to Norfolk after the Tides rallied late. The decisive swing included a go-ahead triple in the seventh and a balk that broke a 2-2 tie, leaving the Sounds to sort through both the result on the field and the fresh additions and departures around the roster. [Read more 🡒]
Brewers Suddenly Forced Into Another Brutal Lineup Shakeup Before First Pitch
The Brewers were already heading into their matchup with the Marlins juggling a fresh set of roster moves, with Sal Frelick landing on the injured list because of a shoulder injury and Blake Perkins coming back up from Triple-A. Milwaukee is also turning to Shane Drohan on the mound against Miamis Max Meyer, but the bigger immediate issue has been how quickly the lineup has had to be reshuffled around the injuries and absences piling up before first pitch.
That shuffle got even more complicated when Brice Turang was scratched from the lineup because of right foot soreness, forcing the Brewers to adjust again on short notice. Luis Lara is in right field, Braden Shewmake is at second base and Joey Ortiz is at third, leaving Milwaukee to piece together a different look yet again as it tries to keep pace in a game that already arrived with plenty of uncertainty. [Read more 🡒]
Brewers Face A Massive Deadline Question About One Top Prospect
Luis Pena has kept moving in High-A Wisconsin, and the Brewers top shortstop prospect is still doing enough on the field to remind people why he remains one of the organizations most interesting young players. MLB Pipeline has him ranked as baseballs No. 18 prospect, and his season line in Wisconsin has only reinforced the idea that there is real value here, even with the usual volatility that comes with a player still climbing the ladder.
For Milwaukee, the intrigue is less about what Pena is right now than what he could become in the kind of deadline market that always forces hard choices. The Brewers are deep enough at shortstop to at least entertain moving a premium talent if the return fits a bigger need, and pitching tends to be the sort of need that can reshape a front offices thinking. Penas production has kept him in the conversation, but the bigger question is how the Brewers weigh that upside against the pressure to address the roster elsewhere when the time comes. [Read more 🡒]