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Brewers Outright Julio Teheran

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The Brewers sent righty Julio Teheran outright to Triple-A Nashville, according to the transaction log at MLB.com. Milwaukee had designated the veteran for assignment last week.

Teheran going unclaimed on waivers was a virtual lock. He is headed back to free agency at season’s end and would not have been eligible for postseason play with another team. There was no incentive for anyone else to claim him. Teheran has more than enough experience to reject the assignment and hit the open market a couple weeks early, though he could elect to stick with the organization on the chance they’d decide to call upon him during a playoff run.

The 32-year-old signed a big league contract with Milwaukee in May. It marked his return to the majors after spending 2022 in independent ball and the Mexican League. Teheran logged 71 2/3 innings across 14 appearances, his heaviest MLB workload since a 2019 season that marked the end of a nine-year run in Atlanta. He provided the Brew Crew with a 4.40 ERA, striking out a below-average 17.4% of opponents but limiting his walks to a meager 4.5% clip. Teheran should find some interest as a depth starter this offseason, though it might be limited to minor league offers.

Milwaukee will open their Wild Card Series against Arizona tomorrow with Corbin Burnes against rookie Brandon Pfaadt. They’d seemed set to turn to Brandon Woodruff to oppose Zac Gallen in Game 2 before the unfortunate revelation that Woodruff would miss the series (at least) with a shoulder issue. Their starter for Wednesday’s contest is still listed as TBD, though Freddy Peralta seems the likely choice. Wade Miley, Adrian Houser and Colin Rea would be the top options if the Brewers wanted to hold Peralta for a potential Game 3 matchup with Arizona’s Merrill Kelly.

Brandon Woodruff Out For Wild Card Series With Shoulder Injury

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Brewers starting pitcher Brandon Woodruff has a right shoulder injury, which will keep him from playing in the upcoming NL Wild Card Series, manager Craig Counsell told reporters (including Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel). Whether or not he can pitch later in the postseason, should the Brewers advance, remains to be seen.

The All-Star right-hander spent four months of the 2023 campaign on the injured list with a subscapular strain in his right shoulder. However, he returned in early August and looked healthy down the stretch, pitching to a 2.59 ERA in nine starts while averaging more than six innings per game. His shoulder bothered him during his final outing of the regular season, but initially, he responded well to treatment. Thus, the severity of his injury came as a surprise for the Brewers; the team was counting on him to start game two of the Wild Card series against the Diamondbacks.

Woodruff plans to get a second opinion on his shoulder, but the team isn’t expecting an update until the end of the week. While they will hope for the best, Counsell and his staff will have to prepare for the worst-case scenario, in which their number two starter is out for the rest of the playoffs.

The Brewers have not yet announced who will start on Wednesday in Woodruff’s place, although Freddy Peralta seems to be the most likely candidate. The 27-year-old pitched his first qualifying season this year, making 30 starts with a 3.86 ERA. It’s harder to guess who will start for Milwaukee in a potential game three. Wade Miley and Adrian Houser are presumably the leading candidates; each had a solid year in 2023, and each is coming off a strong September. Miley pitched to a 3.04 ERA in his final five games, while Houser put up a 2.14 ERA in four September starts. The elder Miley probably has the edge, thanks to his veteran experience and his lefty arm, but Counsell will surely take his time thinking about individual matchups before he makes a decision.

While the Brewers have rotation depth to call upon, this still comes as a huge blow to their postseason hopes. At full strength, Woodruff is one of the better starting pitchers in the National League, and this team was counting on a powerful one-two punch of Corbin Burnes and Woodruff to lead them over the Diamondbacks. No one was more upset about the news than Woodruff himself, who choked up as he told reporters, “We’ve got a good clubhouse. And I want to be a part of that. Sitting here now, I may not.”

Brewers Release Brian Anderson

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October 2: The Brewers released Anderson today, per MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy. The move officially rules out Anderson for the club’s postseason roster, though it was already unlikely the club would have added him back to the 40-man roster to make him eligible for the postseason. Anderson heads into the offseason early, where he’ll look to catch on with a new club as he attempts to return to the form he demonstrated from 2018-2020.

September 28: The Brewers announced that outfielder Garrett Mitchell has been activated from the 60-day injured list.  In the corresponding move, third baseman/outfielder Brian Anderson was designated for assignment.

Mitchell’s official return to the active roster has been expected for a couple of days, after he rejoined the Brewers upon the completion of the Triple-A season.  The outfielder played in only 16 games in April before undergoing shoulder surgery, leaving some doubt to whether or not Mitchell would even make it back before the end of the 2023 campaign.  Fortunately, Mitchell was able to start a Triple-A rehab assignment earlier this month, and played in eight games in the minors.

The 25-year-old figures to get a bit more time to ramp up over the Brewers’ last few games of the regular season, as Milwaukee has locked up the NL Central title and the third seed in the NL bracket.  This gives the Brew Crew some extra time to rest some regulars and figures out who might make the cut for the playoff roster before the start of the Wild Card Series on October 3.

The 20th overall pick of the 2020 draft, Mitchell made his MLB debut last season and was expected to see regular action this year, even beginning 2023 as Milwaukee’s Opening Day center fielder.  Mitchell naturally still figures into the Brewers’ future plans, and what might’ve been an entirely lost season for the younger can be salvaged if he can play a role in any postseason success.  Mitchell likely won’t be line for regular duty ahead of Blake Perkins or Sal Frelick in center field, but he could contribute off the bench as defensive or pinch-running depth.  With Mitchell as an additional outfield option, the Brewers could use then use Mark Canha more regularly at first base or DH rather than in the outfield corners.

While Anderson’s DFA doesn’t technically rule him out of contention for the postseason roster if he clears waivers and is then eventually re-added to the 40-man roster, the writing has seemed to be on the wall that Anderson isn’t in the Brewers’ plans.  His start in yesterday’s game marked his first time in the lineup since August 22, and he has played in only 11 games total since returning from a 10-day IL stint on August 3.

The Marlins non-tendered Anderson last offseason after a pair of injury-riddled down years, and the Brewers signed him to a one-year, $3.5MM deal in the hopes of a bounce-back.  The experiment seemed to be working great in the first few weeks of the season, but Anderson quickly faded after that hot start, and he has a .226/.310/.368 slash line and nine home runs over 361 plate appearances while seeing a lot of action at third base and in right field.

Andruw Monasterio essentially took over the starting third base job after the All-Star break, though his own struggles led the Brewers to make the low-cost signing of Josh Donaldson on a minor league deal.  Donaldson hasn’t been overly impressive since joining the active roster, though his .191/.296/.447 slash line in 54 PA in a Brewers uniform is at least better than the .659 OPS he posted in 120 PA with the Yankees.  With Anderson now likely out of the picture, the Brewers look to be using Donaldson as their chief third base option for the postseason, with Monasterio perhaps acting as a utility infielder backing up Donaldson, shortstop Willy Adames, and second baseman Brice Turang.  Canha, Carlos Santana, and Rowdy Tellez are the first base/DH options.

Poll: Who’s Going To Win The World Series?

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Both the playoff field and the first-round matchups now have been set, so we can get on with deciding who’s going to be holding the Commissioner’s Trophy by the end of the World Series.  After 162 games (well, give or take a Marlins/Mets game that will now be scrapped entirely), the list of contenders has been narrowed to a dozen teams.

The Braves led all of baseball with 104 wins, and their spectacular lineup tied a Major League record with 307 home runs.  Leading the league almost across the board in significant offensive categories this season, Atlanta boasts MVP favorite Ronald Acuna Jr. as their top player, yet the incredible depth of the everyday lineup is a nightmare for opposing pitchers.  Injuries to Max Fried and Charlie Morton have left some questions about the readiness of the staff heading into the playoffs, but if Atlanta’s games start turning into slugfests, the Braves are more than well-equipped for that type of baseball.

Despite a huge swath of injuries to their pitching staff, the Dodgers still finished 100-62 and won the NL West.  It was the fifth time in the last six 162-game seasons that L.A. hit the 100-win threshold, and the Dodgers have now won 10 of the last 11 division titles.  All of that success, of course, has netted “only” one World Series title (in 2020) to date, and it will be up to Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman to keep carrying the offense while the somewhat makeshift pitching staff will try to produce quality innings.

The Orioles went from 110 losses in 2021 to 101 wins this season, winning the AL East for the first time since 2014.  Baltimore’s extensive rebuild led to a new wave of young talent (i.e. Adley Rutschman, Gunnar Henderson, Grayson Rodriguez) providing a quick impact, while roster holdovers and unexpected hidden gems like Ryan O’Hearn all kept producing for a well-rounded team.  The rotation is either a question mark or perhaps just underrated heading into October, and the O’s want to leave no doubt that their team is for real.

The Astros went into the final series of the season not even knowing if they’d be in the playoffs at all, yet Houston ended up with a first-round bye and their sixth AL West crown in seven seasons.  The defending World Series champs have weathered a lot of pitching injuries and a bit more inconsistency than usual from their lineup, yet if any team knows how to turn up the volume in the postseason, it’s the Astros.

These four teams will get first-round byes, while the other two division champions and the six wild-card teams will have to survive the best-of-three first round.  The AL Central champion Twins and the sixth-seeded Blue Jays will meet in the postseason for the first time since 1991, with Toronto trying to win its first playoff game since 2016 and Minnesota trying to end an unfathomable 0-18 record in playoff games dating back to 2004.  Both the Twins and Jays have relied on recipes of strong starting pitching, solid bullpen work and (especially in Toronto’s case) excellent defense, while the offense has been much more hit-and-miss for each club.  A low-scoring series wouldn’t be a surprise, making things a tossup even though the Twins have the home-field advantage.

The Rays and Rangers spent a good chunk of the season looking like they’d sail to division titles, yet the two clubs will now meet in the Wild Card Series.  Tampa Bay’s ever-deep farm system just kept churning out MLB-ready talent, allowing the Rays to stay steady and win 99 games despite an injury-depleted pitching staff.  Texas had greater issues managing pitching injuries and a very leaky bullpen, and though the Rangers still ended up with 90 wins and a playoff berth, the Rangers’ relief corps stands out as perhaps the biggest weak link of any postseason team.

The Brewers went 92-70 to book their fifth trip to the playoffs in six seasons, with three of those trips coming via the NL Central title.  With a 35-20 record since August 1, Milwaukee has been somewhat quietly marching towards the playoffs in top form, even if scoring runs is still at something of a premium for a team powered by its hurlers.  The Diamondbacks have just about the opposite problem, as they’ll head into the playoffs with a -15 run differential and a season-long problem with rotation depth.  But, Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly can be a problem in a short series, and NL Rookie of the Year favorite Corbin Carroll will get his first taste of the postseason spotlight.

The Phillies and Marlins meet in an all-NL East edition of the Wild Card Series, with Miami holding a 7-6 head-to-head edge in regular-season play.  After falling short in last year’s World Series, the Phillies are looking to make another run through the entire bracket, setting up the dynamic of a seasoned, veteran squad against an upstart Marlins club who are in the playoffs following a full 162-game season for the first time since 2003.  A huge 33-13 record in one-run games helped Miami reach the postseason despite a -56 run differential — by contrast, Philadelphia was +81.

Looking at the list of twelve, who is your pick to win it all? (poll link for app users)

Eric Lauer "Seems Unlikely" To Return To Brewers In 2024

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  • Brewers left-hander Eric Lauer returned to the club today more than three months after being optioned to the minors back in June. As noted by Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Lauer was shut down for much of the summer due to issues in both of his shoulders and his left elbow. Lauer returned to the big leagues for a start against the Cubs this evening, but the lefty allowed eight runs on nine hits and four walks in four innings of work, ballooning his season ERA to 6.56 across ten appearances (nine starts). Between Lauer’s struggles and increasing price in arbitration, Hogg notes that it “seems unlikely” Lauer will return to Milwaukee in 2024. If today marks the end of Lauer’s time with the Brewers, he’ll depart with a career 4.05 ERA (102 ERA+) in 331 innings since being acquired from the Padres alongside Luis Urias in exchange for Trent Grisham and Zach Davies.

Brewers Select Caleb Boushley, DFA Julio Teheran Amid Flurry Of Roster Moves

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The Brewers have selected the contract of right-handed pitcher Caleb Boushley, the team announced. To make room on the roster, Julio Teheran has been designated for assignment. In addition, the team has swapped out one lefty for another, optioning Ethan Small and recalling Clayton Andrews in his place. Lastly, the Brewers also placed right-hander Trevor Megill on the restricted list.

Boushley will be making his MLB debut, just two days ahead of his 30th birthday. Selected by the Padres in the 33rd round of the 2017 draft, he played in the Padres system throughout the first five years of his professional career. He joined the Brewers organization ahead of the 2022 season and pitched well for the Triple-A Nashville Sounds, starting 25 games and posting an ERA of 3.25. The righty hasn’t performed quite so well this year, pitching to a 5.11 ERA in 29 games (26 starts). Still, he has evidently done enough to earn a call to the show after seven years in the minor leagues. It seems unlikely the Brewers are considering Boushley for a spot on the postseason roster, and with the NL Central crown already locked up, they might just be giving the career minor leaguer a long-awaited cup of coffee with the big league squad.

As for Teheran, this marks an unceremonious end to his mini-comeback season. The two-time All-Star had not played a regular role for an MLB club since 2020. He spent most of the 2021 campaign on the injured list and then split his time in 2022 between the Atlantic League and the Mexican League.

The 32-year-old looked excellent through his first six appearances with Milwaukee, posting a 1.53 ERA and averaging nearly six innings per start. However, he struggled through his next four outings before landing on the injured list and missing the next eight weeks of the season. Teheran returned in mid-September as a long reliever, and while he looked capable, giving up just two earned runs in nine innings of work, it was far from a guarantee that the Brewers would find a spot for him on the postseason roster.

Small was recalled on Wednesday and threw a single scoreless inning against the Cardinals. It was a substantial improvement over his last big league appearance back in May, when he gave up five runs on nine hits in three innings of mop-up work against the Giants. Nonetheless, the Brewers have decided to replace him with Andrews, another 26-year-old lefty with limited major league experience. Andrews made his MLB debut in July and has thrown a grand total of 1 2/3 big league innings, giving up eight earned runs on eight hits. Both pitchers have much better numbers at Triple-A, although Andrews was especially dominant over the final two months of the minor league season, pitching to a 2.12 ERA in August and September.

The Brewers have three southpaws higher up on the depth chart (Hoby Milner, Wade Miley, and Andrew Chafin), so it’s unlikely they’re auditioning Andrews for a postseason role. More likely, they’re just taking stock of the various arms in the organization over the final days of the regular season.

Finally, while the restricted list can sound ominous, Megill is simply spending an extra day with his wife and newborn baby, having maxed out his three days on the paternity list. He is expected back tomorrow, Craig Counsell told reporters (including Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel).

Brewers’ Colin Rea Will Be A Free Agent This Winter

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After signing a minor league deal with the Brewers last winter, Colin Rea ended up pitching 119 2/3 innings at the big league level, starting 21 of his 25 games.  The right-hander will now look to build off that resume on the open market, as MLB Trade Rumors’ Steve Adams (via X) reports that Rea’s contract contains language that will allow him to enter free agency this winter, even though Rea is still well short of the six full years of MLB service time usually required to become a free agent.  Rea entered 2023 with three years and 90 days of service time, and after having his contract selected by Milwaukee in April was shuttled back and forth several times between the active roster and Triple-A Nashville.

Rea spent 2022 with the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks of Nippon Professional Baseball, posting a 3.96 ERA in 100 innings of work.  As Adams notes, it isn’t unusual for players returning from playing in Japan or other international leagues to have some kind of free agent-related clause in their contracts, giving them a bit more flexibility to seek out a larger deal (whether in MLB or abroad) than they would receive as an arbitration-eligible player still under their team’s control.

Rea turned 33 in July, so it makes sense that he would want to maximize his earning potential now since he could be nearing the end of his career by the time he banked six years of service time.  Prior to 2023, Rea had totaled 154 1/3 career MLB innings with the Padres, Marlins, Cubs, and Brewers, pitching in the 2015-16 seasons and then not appearing in the majors again until 2020 and 2021.  In the three years between those two stints, Rea pitched in the minors but spent a big chunk of the time recovering from Tommy John surgery.

Rea had a 4.90 ERA over his first 154 1/3 Major League frames, and his numbers in 2023 were pretty similar.  The righty had a 4.74 ERA/4.46 SIERA for Milwaukee this season, with strikeout and hard-hit ball rates that were well below the league average.  On the plus side, Rea’s 7.6% walk rate and 44.2% grounder rate weren’t necessarily spectacular, but they were both in the 62nd percentile of all pitchers.  As has been the case for a lot of his career, home runs hampered Rea’s performance, as he allowed 23 homers in his 119 2/3 innings.

The statistics may not jump off the page, yet Rea was a valuable fill-in arm for the Brewers, getting the call to eat innings and cover starts while Milwaukee dealt with numerous rotation injuries this season.  Since teams are forever in need of pitching, Rea has a shot at landing a guaranteed Major League contract in free agency, as he can provide rotation depth or work as a swingman out of the bullpen.

NL Injury Notes: Hoskins, Davis, Mitchell, Candelario, Alzolay

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Phillies manager Rob Thomson isn’t ruling out the possibility that Rhys Hoskins will play in the postseason. More specifically, the skipper told hosts on the WIP Morning Show that if Philadelphia makes it back to the World Series, Hoskins could be available to DH or pinch-hit.

The first baseman tore his ACL during spring training and has not played for the Phillies since last October. However, he’s taking batting practice and running the bases, and he appears to be progressing well. The possibility of his return remains a long shot – Philadelphia would have to make the World Series first, and even then, it’s no guarantee – but still, this is encouraging news for the club.

Hoskins has an .846 OPS and a 126 wRC+ in his career, both of which would rank second among qualified Phillies hitters this season. He was instrumental to the team’s postseason run last fall, clubbing six home runs and driving in 12 across 17 games.

In other National League injury news…

  • J.D. Davis exited early on Tuesday night after a rough slide into third base. The Giants later informed reporters (including Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area) that the third baseman had suffered a shoulder strain, although the severity of the injury remains unclear. The 30-year-old has been San Francisco’s most durable player this season, leading the team in plate appearances and games played.
  • Brewers rookie Garrett Mitchell was spotted on the field ahead of Tuesday night’s contest with the Cardinals. The outfield prospect has been on the injured list since mid-April, but he is hoping to return for the playoffs. The 25-year-old told reporters (including Adam McCalvy of MLB.com) that he could remain on the IL for the rest of the regular season but still make the postseason roster. He is awaiting one final medical appointment before he is fully cleared to return, and he seems optimistic about his chances to play some kind of role for the Brewers this October.
  • Cubs manager David Ross spoke to reporters (including Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune) to provide an update on Jeimer Candelario. Chicago’s big addition at the trade deadline has been on the IL since September 11 with a lower back strain, but he could return as soon as this evening against the Braves. The Cubs could certainly use his switch-hitting bat in the lineup as they try to fend off their opponents in the Wild Card race over the final five days of the season. In other Cubs news, closer Adbert Alzolay is making progress in his attempt to return from a forearm strain. He is hoping to face live hitters in the next few days. 

Brewers Notes: Canha, Mitchell, Ashby

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The Brewers have already clinched a playoff berth and their magic number to clinch the NL Central is one, leaving Milwaukee on the doorstep of winning its third division crown in the last six seasons.  This will also be the Brew Crew’s fifth postseason appearance in that same six-year stretch, as the club has rebounded nicely after missing out on a wild card berth by just one game in 2022.

A 31-18 record since August 1 helped turn the NL Central race into a relatively comfortable finish for the Brewers, who hold a six-game lead over the second-place Cubs.  August 1 also happened to be Mark Canha’s first game with Milwaukee after being acquired from the Mets the day prior, and Canha has played a big role in the Brewers’ surge.  Canha had a solid but unspectacular .245/.343/.381 slash line over 303 plate appearances with New York prior to the deal, but he has kicked things up a couple of notches as a Brewer — Canha has hit .296/.388/.451 with five homers over 188 PA with Milwaukee.

There is perhaps a little good fortune involved, as Canha has a .321 BABIP with the Brewers as compared to a .278 BABIP with the Mets.  However, he has also reduced his strikeout rate and is hitting for a lot more power since changing teams, and Canha told The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel’s Todd Rosiak that he created a quick rapport with Brewers hitting coaches Ozzie Timmons and Connor Dawson.

This success has boosted Canha’s case heading into a possible trip to free agency.  This is the final guaranteed season of the two-year, $26.5MM deal Canha signed with the Mets in November 2021, and New York is still covering all of that remaining money (minus a prorated MLB minimum salary) as per the terms of July’s trade.  The Brewers are responsible for what’s next, whether it’s picking up a $11.5MM club option on Canha for 2024 or buying him out for $2MM.

It makes for a one-year, $9.5MM decision for the team, and Rosiak notes that Canha would be a nice fit for Milwaukee’s unsettled first base picture.  Carlos Santana has hit decently well since coming to the Brewers in another deadline deal, but Santana will also be a free agent, and Canha brings more defensive versatility as a player capable of lining up at either corner outfield slot as well as first base.

Canha would be eager to stay in Milwaukee, saying “I think this organization just really does it, quote unquote, right.  It’s just a place that has a good feel and a good idea of how to win ballgames and how to construct rosters….At this point in my career, when you’ve been in a bunch of different situations, year to year, you appreciate that.”

Garrett Mitchell also figures to be an important part of the Brewers’ outfield picture in 2024, but the former top prospect might be on the verge of still making an impact on this season.  A wayward slide into third base back in April resulted in a shoulder surgery for Mitchell, and the procedure threatened to end his 2023 campaign after only 16 games.  However, Mitchell has been diligently rehabbing, and was able to get back onto the field September 15 to begin a Triple-A rehab assignment.

That assignment is now eight games deep, and with the Triple-A season now over, MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy (X link) suggests that Mitchell might be activated from the 60-day injured list as early as today.  Getting back to the majors this season would present both an important psychological and physical achievement for Mitchell in the bigger picture, but he could also make a late bid for Milwaukee’s playoff roster.

Canha, Christian Yelich, Sal Frelick, Blake Perkins and Tyrone Taylor all look like certainties for the outfield depth chart heading into the postseason, as Taylor seems to have recovered from a minor hamstring issue that kept him out of a few games last week.  This is another area where Canha’s versatility is important to the Brewers, as if the Crew prefers him as a first base or DH option, it creates room for Mitchell to provide further depth in the outfield.

Aaron Ashby is another Brewers youngster recovering from shoulder surgery, but it doesn’t appear as though Ashby’s comeback attempt will lead to a return during the regular season or postseason.  The left-hander hasn’t pitched at all in 2023 due to arthroscopic surgery in April, though he has pitched in seven rehab outings in September, advancing from high-A ball to Double-A to Triple-A.  While rehab assignments are more about getting healthy than bottom-line results, the 15.43 ERA Ashby has posted over his seven total minor league innings indicates that he isn’t quite right yet, so it seems highly unlikely that the Brewers would turn to him as an option for a postseason roster.

Tyrone Taylor Day-To-Day With Hamstring Issue

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  • Brewers outfielder Tyrone Taylor hasn’t played since Wednesday and was once again held out of the lineup today, with manager Craig Counsell indicating to MLB.com that the 29-year-old was dealing with some hamstring tightness. The club has decided to act cautiously rather than risk losing Taylor to an injury that could keep him out of the postseason, though Counsell added that he hopes Taylor will be able to return to the lineup for tomorrow’s game against the Marlins. Taylor was ice cold to start the year, resulting in a lackluster season slash line of just .233/.270/.408 in 210 plate appearances, but he’s been one of Milwaukee’s strongest offensive contributors since the start of August with a scorching hot .291/.341/.581 slash line including 11 doubles, a triple, and seven homers in 126 trips to the plate. Blake Perkins has gotten additional reps in the outfield in recent days with Taylor temporarily shelved.
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