The Brewers’ infield depth took another hit Sunday when the club put shortstop Cooper Pratt on the 10-day injured list with a right hamstring strain, according to Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Pratt was hurt in Milwaukee’s 4-3 win over the Twins on Saturday, manager Pat Murphy said through the Associated Press. The club has not said how severe the strain is, but hamstring injuries can turn into long absences.
As one recent example, Yankees outfielder Cody Bellinger was given a four- to six-week timeline after landing on the IL with a Grade 2 strain in late July. That kind of stretch would be a tough blow for a Brewers team that holds a 5 1/2-game lead over the Cubs in the National League Central and sits three games ahead of the Dodgers and Braves for the NL’s best record.
Milwaukee has leaned on Pratt since promoting him in mid-June, even after the organization locked him up with an eight-year, $50.75MM extension before his major league debut. Joey Ortiz and David Hamilton handled shortstop earlier in the season, but Pratt quickly became the everyday option once he arrived.
The 21-year-old has not brought much pop, with just two homers and a .096 ISO, but the overall line has still been solid: .272/.352/.368 with a 102 wRC+. He has paired that with strong plate discipline, posting a 20.1% strikeout rate and an 11.3% walk rate, and he has added 10 steals. Defensively, he has been a plus at short, with 5 Defensive Runs Saved, 3 Outs Above Average and 3 Fielding Run Value.
Pratt is not the only Brewers infielder dealing with health issues. Earlier Sunday, Rosiak reported that Ortiz is day-to-day because of neck and mid-back problems.
At Triple-A, high-end infield/outfield prospect Jett Williams is headed to a specialist in Arizona after aggravating a wrist injury on Saturday. Williams had just returned from a layoff of more than two weeks, and this setback appears to shut down any chance of a quick call-up.
With bodies coming off the board, the Brewers turned to Ji Hwan Bae for help. The club selected his contract earlier Sunday after adding him on a minor league deal, Rosiak reported.
The 27-year-old South Korea native once carried real prospect status with the Pirates, who gave him a $1.25MM signing bonus in 2018, but his big league track record has not matched that promise. From 2022-25, he logged 514 plate appearances and hit .223/.294/.293 with two homers and 37 steals before Pittsburgh waived him.
The Mets claimed Bae last November, though he never reached the majors with them this season. At Triple-A Syracuse, he hit .257/.360/.368 with three home runs and six stolen bases over 371 plate appearances.
To make room, Milwaukee designated left-hander Drew Rom for assignment. The 26-year-old signed a minors deal with the Brewers during the offseason and has made five appearances for the team. In that brief big league sample, he walked four over 5 2/3 innings, struck out 11 and allowed two runs.
Rom’s Triple-A work has been much stronger. In 41 innings with Nashville, he posted a 2.20 ERA while striking out 36.1% of hitters and walking just 6.5%.
He still has two minor league options left, but if he goes unclaimed he can reject an outright assignment. The Cardinals previously outrighted Rom, which gives him the right to refuse another outright and choose free agency.
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