The Brewers placed Jackson Chourio on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to July 30, with a right hamstring strain. Brandon Lockridge, acquired from San Diego yesterday in the Nestor Cortes trade, has reported to the team. Lockridge jumps into right field and gets the nod at the top of the lineup tonight against Nationals southpaw Mitchell Parker.
Chourio suffered the injury on Tuesday against the Cubs. He drilled a ball off the center field wall and legged out a triple. Chourio pulled up as he approached third base, and while he nevertheless made it there safely, he was immediately replaced by pinch-runner Blake Perkins. Manager Pat Murphy told reporters (including Curt Hogg of The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel) that the strain is more severe than initially anticipated. He’ll certainly be out longer than 10 days, and Murphy left open the possibility of a month-plus long absence.
Milwaukee recently welcomed Sal Frelick back from his own hamstring strain. He’ll get the majority of the right field playing time, though he’s out of the lineup tonight against the lefty starter Parker. Frelick’s return had initially pushed Perkins into a fourth outfield role. He’s now in line for everyday playing time in center field. The switch-hitting Perkins missed most of the season because of a Spring Training shin fracture. He stole 23 bases with a .240/.316/.332 slash line a year ago. Chourio’s injury might’ve played a role in Milwaukee’s decision to add the speedster Lockridge, a righty-hitting fourth outfielder without much offensive upside.
Perkins is a capable stopgap, but he clearly has a much lower ceiling than Chourio offers. The 21-year-old is batting .276/.311/.474 with 29 doubles, four triples and 17 home runs. He was a bit inconsistent early in the year, but he’d been on a tear (.367 with four homers and 12 extra-base hits) in July. The injury halts that hot streak and will cost him at least a few weeks as the Brewers battle the Cubs for the NL Central crown. They enter play Friday leading Chicago by a half-game and narrowly hold MLB’s best record at 64-44.
Really a shame to see. Just when the Crew got going!
Down the best hitter on the team and opted to pass on a established hitter at the deadline
Right. Even someone like a Cedric Mullins
Mets gave up 3 prospects for Mullins. #14, 30 and some lotto ticket. Had the brewers done that you’d be taking ABs away from Perkins or Collins. An outfield of Perkins, Collins, Frelick and Lockridge with Yeli mostly being able to DH. It also helps that 2 of those guys are switch hitters. Next man up until Chourio comes back
Mullins would be a huge upgrade over Lockridge. Taking ABs away from Perkins? Who cares? So we push him to a reserve role which is what we signed him to be anyway.
Unless Perkins has been outperforming Mullins this year on both sides of the ball, which I’ll admit I don’t know for sure that’s not the case.
It was baffling that especially with him possibly being out that they didn’t make some bigger acquisition for the lineup
This comment aged well after the crew scored 16 runs off 25 hits.
I trust the front office more than couch coaches.
I’m not sure that hitting well in a game in first week of August has a correlation with the games in first week of October
Good luck in MIL Lockridge.
The Brewers always seem to unlock beast mode in dudes like that.
16 runs on 25 hits the game after the deadline… this team just made a statement tonight.