Tyrone Taylor’s recovery from an elbow sprain isn’t going as well as hoped, Brewers manager Craig Counsell tells Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. The team first revealed Taylor’s injury last week and said Taylor would miss at least the first two weeks of spring games, but a more pessimistic update with games already underway clouds the 28-year-old’s readiness for Opening Day.
“We’re not any closer,” Counsell said. “As we move on here, we’re starting to be concerned for sure because we want to get him started and he’s not doing any baseball activities, and we don’t have any on the horizon.”
Taylor, 29, hit .233/.286/.442 through a career-high 405 plate appearances last season, showing plenty of pop and a good glove across all three outfield spots, which helped to offset an OBP that ranked 181st among the 205 players who tallied at least 400 plate appearances. Taylor’s right-handed bat, on paper anyway, pairs nicely with lefty-swinging outfielders like Christian Yelich, Jesse Winker and Garrett Mitchell. If the club wants to keep a right-handed bat in the outfield mix, offseason signee Brian Anderson could move from third base into right field, freeing some early time for Luis Urias at third base. Prospect Brice Turang could take second base if he makes the team, but Abraham Toro and Owen Miller could also see some time at the keystone.
There’s plenty of versatility for the Brewers to mix-and-match on the roster, which has been a hallmark of their clubs in recent seasons. Milwaukee still hasn’t provided a firm update as to when Taylor might realistically be able to get back into a game, but with Opening Day just over a month away and rehab not progressing well, an IL stint to begin the season is possible.
A few more notes from the division…
- The Cubs haven’t provided a clear timetable for how long Seiya Suzuki’s strained oblique might keep him out of action — though the injury is notable enough that Suzuki has withdrawn from the World Baseball Classic. However, even in the event of some missed time, free agent Jurickson Profar isn’t a likely option for the Cubs, writes Patrick Mooney of The Athletic. The team is about $8MM shy of the $233MM luxury-tax barrier and doesn’t seem particularly inclined to cross it at this time, per Mooney, who adds that any remaining resources are likelier to be allocated to the bullpen or be earmarked for potential midseason upgrades on the trade market. If the Cubs are still pondering another addition in the bullpen, some of the top names remaining include Zack Britton, Will Smith, Brad Hand and Corey Knebel.
- Imaging on Matt Reynolds revealed a Grade 1 strain in both of the infielder’s quadriceps muscles, Reds skipper David Bell told reporters (Twitter link). Despite the pair of ailments, Reynolds is only expected to be sidelined for a few days, so he should still be in the running for a bench spot on the Cincinnati roster to begin the season. The 32-year-old appeared in a career-high 93 games for the Reds in 2022 and slashed .246/.320/.332 in 272 plate appearances while appearing at every position on the diamond other than catcher.
- Pirates prospect Bubba Chandler has been told that he will strictly be a pitcher this year, per Sam Dykstra of MLB Pipeline. A third round draft pick in 2021, he’s been playing both sides of the ball so far in his professional career. He tossed 41 1/3 innings in the minors last year with a 2.61 ERA, striking out 34.7% of batters faced while walking 16.2%. At the plate, however, he hit just .196/.331/.382, walking in 16.1% of his trips to the plate but getting punched out 33.1% of the time. It seems a return to hitting down the line hasn’t been ruled out, but he’ll focus on his mound work for the time being.
If Reynolds made the team, something would have to be seriously wrong anyway.
Agreed. No reason to give him more abs that can go to younger guys still needing to prove themselves
I’m just happy it wasn’t another article on a Reynolds 8 year extension or a position shift. 😉
Was hoping to see Chandler evolve as a two way player. He has some pop that shouldn’t be sidelined.
Wrong Reynolds! It’s almost like they are trying to get clicks.
Luke Voit probably gets Taylor’s spot on the opening day roster if Taylor isn’t ready
Depending on their performance, Naquin or Perkins would probably be more likely. They would be without a true fourth outfielder if they went with Voit.
Spring Training: A reminder players get injured all the time. Depth is key.
Hey, the kids are looking good so far, man. Especially since pitching has the advantage early in ST (imho) over hitting.
RIP Bubba Ohtani.
Bubba Ryan still lives
I missed the Brewers picking up Toro. Interesting but only if he hits and only as a backup. Owen Miller had a good start last year and could be interesting too. Love Garrett Mitchell. He totally should have been drafted higher. Teams were stupid to pass on him. He will be an all star down the road.
Toro homered today, a little wrist shot over the RF fence, so he’s showing power early. Miller looked good the other day with a nice double. Frelick is making contact. Very small sample, but always fun to see who might force their way onto the team!
Is medical imaging for player injuries paid for by the player’s personal health insurance or by the team?
Cubbies are $8MM shy of the $233MM luxury-tax barrier with THAT team? That’s an expensive 74 win team. Yuck.
Paying Heyward $25 million to sit at home isn’t helping.
That had me scratching my head also. The only player on the roster within shouting distance of superstar is Dansby Swanson. Even mediocrity carries a hefty price tag these days.
So you must be either a Brewers, Reds or Cards fan, right? This is not a 74 win team. You can add 10 wins to that and still, I would agree that it’s an expensive 84 win team.
Cot’s has it closer to $13 MM. Drops way down next season. True Payroll only $179.
That’s how it’s done in Chicago—waste a bunch of money on crappy players and 1-yr and contracts. Give the Blackhawks their flowers. The ownership of the other Chicago-based teams have zero interest in winning anything.
Pineapple on pizza? No way!
Bubba Chandler meet Brendan McKay, Masyn Winn, Hunter Greene, Jared Walsh, and Jake Cronenworth. The ugly truth is as much fun as two-way players are, it only works out if you are great at both. Otherwise you might as well stick to the “way” you are best at.
in the time of the NL DH, unless you excel at hitting than there is very little reason to go for two way. Only bonus is to save a roster spot. assuming he ends up being a starter and can get near league average bat, having him come in on rest days for the everyday people could be nice.