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Brewers Option Luis Urías, Recall Brice Turang

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The Brewers announced that they have optioned infielder Luis Urías to Triple-A Nashville and recalled infielder Brice Turang in a corresponding move.

Urías, 26, seemed to have established himself as a solid part of the Milwaukee over the past two years. Over 2021 and 2022, he launched 39 home runs and hit a combined .244/.340/.426 for a wRC+ of 111. This year, however, has been an entirely different story.

He was placed on the injured list with a hamstring strain after the first game of the season and wasn’t able to return until June 5. In the past three-plus weeks, he’s yet to get into a groove, hitting just .145/.299/.236 for a wRC+ of 60. A .179 batting average on balls in play isn’t doing him any favors, but his exit velocity, hard hit rate and barrel rate are all down a few points, suggesting it’s more than just luck. That cold spell was pronounced enough for the Brewers to send him to the minors, his first time being optioned since he was a Padre back in 2019.

The infielder has already had two passes through arbitration as a Super Two player, earning a salary of $2.5MM last year and $4.7MM. He has already surpassed four years of service time here this year and would be eligible for two more arb seasons, though his rough season might give the club some pause about tendering him a contract. The arbitration system is designed so that player salaries essentially always climb, meaning Urías could be looking at jumping over $5MM even with his struggles so far this year.

The Brewers are unsurprisingly looking for more offense, as Urías isn’t the only one struggling. The club is hitting .226/.305/.370 as a whole for a wRC+ of 85, which puts them ahead of only the Athletics and the Rockies. They will surely be hoping that today’s swap can give them a boost in that department.

Turang himself was a part of those struggles, as he made the club’s Opening Day roster but hit just .205/.254/.307 through his first 177 career plate appearances. That performance got him optioned to Nashville in early June, where he has been faring much better. He’s hit .298/.365/.561 over the past three weeks since getting sent down, posting a 127 wRC+. Though he struck out in 27.1% of his major league appearances, it’s been just a 15.9% clip in Triple-A.

He’ll now get another shot against major league pitching to see if he can find better results. Due to that optional assignment, he’ll come up short of a full year of service time here in 2023, though he would be on track to get Super Two status after 2025 if he can stay up for good.

Brewers Reinstate Luis Urías, Transfer Darin Ruf To 60-Day IL

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3:55pm: In addition to the laceration, Ruf has a non-displaced fracture of his patella, per Adam McCalvy of MLB.com. The expected recovery timeline is six to eight weeks, leading to today’s transfer.

3:30pm: The Brewers announced a series of roster moves today, reinstating infielder Luis Urías from the 60-day injured list. Fellow infielder Mike Brosseau was optioned to open a spot on the active roster. To open a spot on the 40-man, first baseman Darin Ruf was transferred to the 60-day IL.

Urías, 26, played in Milwaukee’s Opening Day game this year but hurt his left hamstring in that contest. He was diagnosed with a strain and it was estimated that he would miss six to eight weeks. He was eventually transferred to the 60-day injured list and now returns after a slightly longer absence than that initial estimated time frame.

In the past couple of seasons, he has established himself as a solid and versatile member of the club. Over 2021 and 2022, he hit 39 home runs and slashed a combined .244/.340/.426 for a wRC+ of 111. He was also able to bounce around the infield, slotting in at the three positions to the left of first base as needed.

His recent absence led to greater playing time for certain utility players, one of which was Brosseau. Unfortunately, he hasn’t been able to take advantage of the opportunity, hitting .205/.256/.397 so far this year for a wRC+ of 75. Other players like Owen Miller and Andruw Monasterio have fared better this year, leading to Brosseau getting squeezed out today. Assuming Urías is able to get back to his previous form, the swap should be a positive one for the club.

The move could potentially impact Brosseau’s path to free agency, as he came into the season with three years and 31 days of service time. If he were to spend more than a month in the minors, it could prevent him from reaching the four-year mark this season. But he also might find himself at risk of being non-tendered at season’s end anyway since he’s making $1.4MM this year and would be in line for an arbitration raise for next season.

As for Ruf, he suffered a laceration on his knee last week when he was chasing after a foul ball and collided with the rolled-up tarp. He was placed on the 10-day IL on the weekend but it seems the issue is serious enough that he’ll need to miss a couple of months. Ruf had just joined the club a couple of weeks ago and effectively replaced the now-released Luke Voit as the right-handed platoon partner for the lefty-swinging Rowdy Tellez. The club recently called up first baseman Jon Singleton, though he also swings from the left side.

Players like Miller, Brian Anderson and Abraham Toro have a small amount of first base experience and bat from the right side, with Toro being a switch-hitter. Perhaps one of them could attempt to take that short-side platoon role. Tellez could also play on a more everyday basis as his career splits aren’t that drastic. He’s hit .237/.308/.486 against righties for a 110 wRC+ and .242/.313/.396 against lefties for a 93 wRC+.

Brewers Notes: Urias, Adames, Woodruff, Lauer, Bush

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MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy relayed a series of significant updates regarding injured Brewers players this morning. Most encouragingly, the Brewers expect to welcome both infielder Luis Urias and shortstop Willy Adames back from the injured list this week.

Urias, who suffered a hamstring strain on Opening Day and hasn’t played since, is expected to rejoin the club on Tuesday as they begin a homestand against the Orioles. Acquired in the trade that sent Trent Grisham to San Diego prior to the 2020 season, Urias has been a key piece of the club’s infield picture for several seasons now, particularly since his offensive breakout in 2021. Since the beginning of the 2021 season, Urias has slashed a solid .243/.339/.424 (111 wRC+) with a 20.6% strikeout rate and a 10.8% walk rate in 1,046 trips to the plate.

Adames, meanwhile, has been on the 7-day concussion IL since getting struck with a foul ball in the dugout last week. McCalvy notes that the current plan is for Adames to play DH for High-A Wisconsin today before moving on to Triple-A Nashville. After two games in Nashville, Adames figures to be activated from the injured list on Thursday.

After the Brewers acquired Adames partway through the 2021 season, the then-25-year-old shortstop raked for the club in 99 games for the rest of the season, with a .285/.366/.521 slash line that was 36% better than league average by measure of wRC+. Adames followed up that performance in 2022 with a solid 109 wRC+ in 139 games, but struggled prior to his placement on the IL this season, slashing a below-average .205/.292/.384 in 51 games.

Still, the Brewers figure to be bolstered significantly by the return of their two most reliable infielders. Andruw Monasterio, Owen Miller, and Brian Anderson have all produced solid results in the infield while Urias and Adames have been on the shelf. Assuming the Brewers look to keep all three of them on the active roster even after the duo returns this week, it’s possible the club will look toward the likes of Brice Turang, Mike Brosseau, and Abraham Toro when clearing space for Adames and Urias on the active roster. Each of those three infielders (as well as both Monasterio and Miller) are optionable, leaving Milwaukee with plenty of options as they look to make roster decisions in the coming days.

While the updates on Adames and Urias are encouraging, the same unfortunately cannot be said regarding ace right-hander Brandon Woodruff. The 30-year-old righty made just two starts this season before going on the injured list with a subscapular strain in his right shoulder, which came with an initial timeline that figured to see him return later this month. McCalvy notes that Woodruff’s timetable for return has been pushed back, however, as the righty has yet to progress to throwing off a mound, leaving the Brewers to target a return around the All Star break for their ace.

The setback for Woodruff is a tough blow to the Brewers, who have since lost Wade Miley and Eric Lauer from their rotation to injuries (in addition to Aaron Ashby, who has yet to pitch this season after undergoing shoulder surgery). What’s more, Woodruff’s co-ace Corbin Burnes has had a somewhat pedestrian season to this point by his lofty standards, posting a 3.75 ERA (113 ERA+) and a 4.59 FIP across twelve starts while striking out 22.8% of batters faced.

Speaking of Lauer, the left-hander and reliever Matt Bush are both expected to head to Triple-A for rehab assignments on Tuesday. Lauer struggled mightily in nine appearances (eight starts) this season prior to going on the IL due to an impingement in his non-throwing shoulder, with a 5.48 ERA and a 6.73 FIP in 42 2/3 innings of work. Bush also struggled in nine games prior to hitting the IL with tendinitis in his right rotator cuff allowing seven runs on four homers and six walks in just 7 2/3 innings of work.

Brewers Claim J.B. Bukauskas From Mariners

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The Mariners announced that right-hander J.B. Bukauskas has been claimed off waivers by the Brewers. The M’s had designated him for assignment last week. To make room for Bukauskas on their 40-man roster, the Brewers have transferred infielder Luis Urías to the 60-day injured list, per Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Bukauskas has been assigned to Triple-A Nashville, per Rosiak.

Now 26 years old, Bukauskas was the No. 15 overall pick by the Astros back in 2017. The ’Stros traded him to the D-backs as part of the four-prospect package that brought Zack Greinke to Houston, but Bukauskas battled injuries and never got much of a big league look in Arizona. The Diamondbacks gave him just 17 1/3 innings in the Majors, during which time he was tagged for 15 earned runs on 24 hits and seven walks with 14 strikeouts.

A flexor strain in 2021 and a teres major strain in 2022 limited Bukauskas to just 52 1/3 innings combined between those two seasons. The Diamondbacks designated him for assignment back in January when opening a roster spot for the re-signing of Zach Davies, at which point the Mariners claimed him. Seattle successfully passed him through outright waivers a few weeks later but selected Bukauskas back to the big league roster early in the season when Andres Munoz hit the injured list.

While he’s had a rough start to his season, Bukauskas posted strong Triple-A numbers in a small sample of 20 1/3 innings last year. Overall, he carries a 3.96 ERA, 26.3% strikeout rate and 6.9% walk rate in 38 2/3 innings at that level. Bukauskas  has averaged 94.5 mph on his four-seamer in the big leagues, and in his lone look with the Mariners this year he was relying on a sinker in place of that four-seamer. Dating back to his prospect days, he was touted for a plus or better changeup. He’s in his final minor league option year, so if he sticks on Milwaukee’s roster, he can give them some flexible bullpen depth for the remainder of the season.

Luis Urias Out 6-8 Weeks With Hamstring Injury

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11:14am: Craig Counsell told reporters (including Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel) that Urias will miss 6-8 weeks of action.

9:47am: The Brewers announced a couple of roster moves this morning, placing infielder Luis Urias on the 10-day injured list retroactive to March 31 after he sustained a left hamstring injury on Opening Day. The team also announced that left-handed pitcher Justin Wilson has been transferred to the 60-day IL.

It opens the door for the Brewers to officially add prospect Joey Wiemer to their big league roster, as he’ll take the place of Urias, while Wilson’s move to the 60-day IL opens up a spot on the 40-man roster.

Urias hurt his hamstring in the ninth inning of Milwaukee’s 4-0 Opening Day loss to the Cubs, having gone 0-4 in the match. There’s no indication yet of how long Urias will be out for, but this opens the door for Brian Anderson to handle the hot corner in the meantime, with Wiemer taking over in right for the time being.

A fourth round pick in 2020, Wiemer has shot up the Brewers’ prospect charts in recent years, and his .287/.368/.520 line over 174 plate appearances at the highest level of the minors last season showed he was knocking on the door of his first big league call up. While scouts raised concerns over his strikeouts and swing mechanics dating back to the draft, Wiemer’s raw power and athleticism have shone through and he was placed near the back of Keith Law’s recent top-100 prospects in all of baseball.

The move to shift Wilson to the 60-day IL was likely an easy one for the Brewers. The veteran lefty underwent Tommy John surgery in June of last year, so he is expected to miss most, if not all, of the 2023 campaign. The Brewers signed him this winter to a one-year deal, but hold a club option on him for 2024.

Brewers To Promote Joey Wiemer

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The Brewers are bringing up one of their top prospects. Outfielder Joey Wiemer is getting his first major league call, reports Robert Murray of FanSided (Twitter link). The Brewers figure to finalize the move before tomorrow afternoon’s matchup with the Cubs.

Wiemer was Milwaukee’s fourth-round pick in 2020 out of the University of Cincinnati. Amateur scouts praised his power and athleticism but raised significant questions about his strikeouts and atypical swing mechanics. Wiemer’s .264/.379/.408 slash in college was hardly overwhelming, particularly outside a Power Five conference.

Milwaukee rolled the dice on his physical upside in hopes he could iron things out in pro ball. They have to be thrilled with how that decision has played out over the past couple seasons. Wiemer hit .296/.403/.556 during his first professional season, positioning him as one of the better prospects in the Milwaukee farm system. He took that to another level with continued production against upper level pitching last year.

Wiemer spent the bulk of the 2022 season with Double-A Biloxi, where he put up a roughly average .243/.321/.440 line over 374 plate appearances. Wiemer punched out 30% of the time but connected on 15 home runs and stole 25 bases while getting caught just once. The Brewers bumped him to Triple-A Nashville in August, and he caught fire at the top minor league level. In 174 trips to the plate, he mashed at a .287/.368/.520 clip with six longballs. Wiemer cut his strikeouts to a solid 19.5% rate in Triple-A while walking 12.1% of the time.

That firmly placed him among the sport’s most interesting outfield prospects headed into the winter. Both FanGraphs and Keith Law of the Athletic slotted him near the back of their offseason Top 100 prospect lists. Wiemer didn’t crack the Top 100 at Baseball America or ESPN but finished just outside that cutoff, ranking among the top three talents in the Milwaukee system at both outlets. Evaluators credit him with plus or better raw power, speed and arm strength. He’s regarded as a high-variance type but a potential impact player on the strength of those deafening physical tools.

The Brew Crew gave the 24-year-old an extended look this spring. He held his own, putting together a .262/.319/.429 line with two homers, four walks and ten strikeouts in 42 at-bats. General manager Matt Arnold indicated towards the end of Spring Training that both Wiemer and fellow top prospect Sal Frelick were being considered for season-opening roster spots. Neither ended up grabbing a job out of camp, as both were ticketed for Nashville to start the season.

Plans changed yesterday, as starting third baseman Luis Urías hurt his left hamstring in the ninth inning of an Opening Day loss. Urías was noticeably hobbled after the game, and Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports that Urías is headed to the 10-day injured list. Brian Anderson, who’d opened the season as the right fielder, has a long track record as an MLB third baseman. He’ll now slide to the hot corner, with Wiemer stepping into the right field job.

That’ll presumably be the plan at least until a veteran is ready to return from injury. It’s unknown how long Urías will be out. Tyrone Taylor, who might’ve gotten the Opening Day right field nod, is expected to be sidelined into May with an elbow sprain. Wiemer should have at least a couple weeks to try to establish himself against big league pitching.

While one day of the schedule has already elapsed, players are credited with a full year of major league service if they’re in the majors for 172+ days of the 186-day season. Wiemer would still get to that mark if he’s up for good, which would put him on track to first reach arbitration after the 2025 season and qualify for free agency over the 2028-29 offseason.

Wiemer hadn’t been on the 40-man roster. Milwaukee will need to select his contract tomorrow. That’ll require a corresponding 40-man move, though players like Aaron Ashby (shoulder strain) and Justin Wilson (recovering from Tommy John surgery) are 60-day injured list candidates.

Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Each MLB Team’s Players On WBC Rosters

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The World Baseball Classic is returning this year, the first time since 2017. The quadrennial event was supposed to take place in 2021 but was scuttled by the pandemic, now returning after a six-year absence. Rosters for the tournament were announced today and those can be found at this link. Here is a breakdown of which players from each MLB team are set to take participate. Quick caveat that this list is fluid and might be changed as more information becomes available.

Without further ado…

Angels

Astros

Athletics

Blue Jays

Braves

Brewers

Cardinals

Cubs

Diamondbacks

Dodgers

Giants

Guardians

Marlins

Mariners

Mets

Nationals

Orioles

Padres

Phillies

Pirates

Rangers

Rays

Red Sox

Reds

Rockies

Royals

Tigers

Twins

White Sox

Yankees

Brewers Designate Jose Ureña For Assignment

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The Brewers designated righty José Ureña for assignment, according to Will Sammon of The Athletic.  Additionally, Luis Urías has returned from his IL stint and figures to reassume his role as the team’s primary third baseman.

Ureña signed a minor league deal with Milwaukee in Spring Training but was selected onto the big league roster the following day. Ticketed for relief work thanks to the Brew Crew’s loaded rotation, Ureña wound up making just four appearances. He tallied 7 2/3 innings of five-run ball, walking five batters while striking out only three. He generated swinging strikes on a below-average 9.1% of his offerings.

While Ureña has never had especially strong control or swing-and-miss numbers, he has typically managed high-end ground-ball rates throughout his career. Early on in his Milwaukee tenure, though, his grounder rate sat at a league average 42.9%. Ultimately, the Brewers decided to move forward without the 30-year-old as part of today’s deadline to trim active rosters from 28 to 26 players.

Ureña will now be traded or placed on waivers in the coming days. As a player with more than five big league service years, he has the right to refuse an outright assignment even if he passes through waivers unclaimed. Ureña has averaged north of 96 MPH on his fastball through the season’s first few weeks, so he figures to at least attract interest on a minor league deal if another club isn’t willing to grant him an immediate MLB roster spot.

Urías missed the season’s first month due to a left quad issue. He’s now in line to make his season debut after positing a career-best .249/.345/.445 showing over 570 plate appearances in 2021. His return will be a welcome development for a Brewers team that has gotten a meager .182/.289/.227 line from its replacement third basemen — primarily Jace Peterson and Mike Brosseau — thus far.

Injury Notes: Gray, Treinen, Urias, Herrera

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The Rangers are placing starter Jon Gray back on the 10-day injured list, tweets Levi Weaver of the Athletic. The right-hander just returned after a minimal IL stint due to a blister on Tuesday, but he’s now suffered an MCL sprain in his left knee. General manager Chris Young didn’t sound concerned, suggesting this next stint might also be a minimal absence and could cost Gray just one start. Texas announced that righty Glenn Otto is being recalled from Triple-A Round Rock to make his first MLB start of the season this evening. Gray, signed to a four-year deal over the offseason, has made two starts in Arlington thus far, allowing seven runs in nine innings.

The latest on some other injury situations around the game:

  • The Dodgers announced this afternoon that reliever Blake Treinen has been placed on the 10-day IL due to right shoulder discomfort. Treinen hasn’t pitched in eight days after experiencing some soreness in his arm. The team didn’t announce a timetable for his return, though that they elected against placing him on the IL for over a week indicates they were initially of the belief he wouldn’t miss more than a few days. Treinen is among the top arms in the L.A. bullpen, coming off a stellar 2021 campaign in which he posted a 1.99 ERA with a 29.7% strikeout rate and a 52.6% grounder percentage. He has made three appearances this season, serving up a game-winning homer to the Rockies’ Connor Joe on April 9 but otherwise not allowing a baserunner and punching out five.
  • Brewers third baseman Luis Urías began the season on the injured list due to a left quad issue. He’s moving closer to a return, as Adam McCalvy of MLB.com tweets that the 24-year-old is set to begin a rehab assignment with Double-A Biloxi over the weekend. Urías is coming off a solid 2021 season, hitting .249/.345/.445 with 23 homers and a strong 11.1% walk rate across 570 plate appearances. The righty-hitting infielder posted excellent minor league numbers during his days as one of the sport’s most promising prospects, so the Brewers can reasonably expect him to build off last year’s showing when he’s healthy. In the meantime, Milwaukee has relied on a Jace Peterson – Mike Brosseau platoon at the hot corner. That duo has combined to hit just .108/.233/.108 in 43 trips to the plate.
  • The Phillies announced they’ve reinstated center fielder Odúbel Herrera from the injured list. Fellow outfielder Simón Muzziotti was optioned to Double-A Reading in a corresponding move. Herrera, re-signed to a modest one-year deal after the club declined a pricer option, entered Spring Training as the presumptive favorite for the center field job. He suffered a right oblique strain in late March that wound up costing him a month, though. After also losing Mickey Moniak to injury before the start of the season, the Phils have turned to Matt Vierling and Muzziotti through the season’s first two weeks. That hasn’t gone well, as Phils’ center fielders are hitting .118/.205/.147 through 40 plate appearances.

Injury Notes: Vaughn, Ahmed, Urias, Coonrod

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The White Sox announced today that first baseman/outfielder Andrew Vaughn has been diagnosed with a hip pointer (a bruised pelvis bone on his right side) and is expected to return to game action in one to two weeks. Vaughn sustained the injury on a diving catch in right field yesterday, and while he was initially able to get to his feet after the play, he dropped back down and signaled for the training staff. He was eventually helped off the field on a cart.

Vaughn, the No. 3 overall pick in the 2019 draft, made his big league debut in 2021 while converting from first base to the outfield. He hit just .235/.309/.396 with 15 home runs on the season as a whole, in part due to a dismal September swoon that saw him collect just four hits (all singles) in his final 49 plate appearances. He’s had a nice Spring Training so far, but it’s possible that this hip injury will sideline him for the remainder of camp — if not the first few games of the season. Depending on his progress, an IL stint doesn’t seem out of the question, but time will tell whether that proves necessary.

A few more injury scenarios of particular note from around the league…

  • D-backs shortstop Nick Ahmed is headed for an MRI on his ailing right shoulder, writes Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic. Ahmed’s shoulder issue dates back to the 2020 season, when he initially jammed it on the landing after diving for a ball at shortstop. Piecoro notes that Ahmed has previously sidestepped questions about the potential for surgery, but the results of the MRI will be telling. The 32-year-old Ahmed has always been a glove-first player, but last year’s offensive output cratered as he played through ongoing shoulder discomfort. In 473 trips to the plate, Ahmed slashed just .221/.280/.339 — a far cry from the .254/.316/.437 line he posted in 2019. Defensive metrics remain bullish on Ahmed’s range, although last year’s five throwing errors were the second-most of his career (perhaps not a surprise, given that it’s his throwing shoulder in question). The D-backs owe Ahmed $7.5MM this season and $10MM in 2023.
  • Brewers infielder Luis Urias has been ruled out for Opening Day, manager Craig Counsell told reporters today (Twitter link via Will Sammon of The Athletic). It’s not a big surprise given that he’s been limited to just two spring at-bats while nursing a strained quadriceps. The 24-year-old Urias looked on the verge of losing his spot in the Brewers’ lineup at one point last year, as Milwaukee swung an early trade for Willy Adames after some rough play from Urias at shortstop. Upon moving off shortstop and settling in at third base, however, Urias saw not only his defensive ratings improve but also broke out at the plate. Over his final 426 plate appearances, he slashed .262/.352/.470 with 19 home runs, 18 doubles and a triple — good for a 120 wRC+. With Urias sidelined, it’ll likely fall to journeyman Jace Peterson, former Rays infielder Mike Brosseau and utilityman Pablo Reyes to cover the hot corner.
  • Phillies right-hander Sam Coonrod has been shut down for five to seven days with a shoulder strain, manager Joe Girardi announced to reporters (Twitter link via Jim Salisbury of NBC Sports Philadelphia). That puts his Opening Day availability in jeopardy, though that will depend on just how he fares when he’s reevaluated a few days down the line. The 29-year-old Coonrod may not be as familiar a name as some of his veteran bullpen-mates, but he’s in line to serve as an important member of the relief corps, if healthy. In 42 1/3 innings last season, the former Giants righty posted a 4.04 ERA with a strong 25.9% strikeout rate, an 8.1% walk rate and a brilliant 57.1% grounder rate. Coonrod averaged 98.8 mph on his heater, and between the velocity, strikeouts, walks and grounders, there’s potential for a breakout performance if this shoulder issue proves minor.
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