The Milwaukee Brewers lost their second big name outfielder in the same weekend during a postponed series against the St. Louis Cardinals.
Ryan Braun was placed on the 10-day injured list on Sunday, August 2nd with an infected right index finger. The roster move was retroactive to Thursday, the Brewers true “off” day last week.
Brewers Lose Two Outfielders in One Weekend
Milwaukee has not made any corresponding moves on their active roster yet, but will have to fill two spots. Starting center fielder Lorenzo Cain announced on Saturday he was opting out the remainder of the 2020 season.
Both moves come after the Brewers were not able to play any of their series against the Cardinals due St. Louis having multiple cases of Covid-19 starting Friday morning. Additional positive cases were added on Saturday and Sunday for the team. The Cardinals team and staff still remain in Milwaukee.
Braun is currently batting .231, going 3-for-13, and has 2 RBI. All three of his starts have been as the designated hitter.
Lorenzo Cain had just started to heat up and begin a comeback year after a slightly disappointing 2019. He ends his season with a .333 batting average, 2 RBI, and a .818 OPS.
Bad News All Around
Along with the Cain and Braun news, word came down on Sunday night that Brewers bench coach Pat Murphy suffered a heart attack Saturday during the Brewers’ workouts. Murphy is recovering and resting comfortably in a Milwaukee hospital and in good spirits. Doctors told him he should have a full recovery.
Brewers Outfield Status
Milwaukee will likely start Christian Yelich, Ben Gamel, and Avisail Garcia in the outfield for the time being. The likely roster moves would be for Keon Broxton and Tyrone Taylor, but Corey Ray is also a possibility.
But, Brock Holt, Eric Sogard, and Logan Morrison also have outfielder experience. So, the Brewers might bring up only one outfielder. The other spot could be a pitcher or someone like Ryon Healy or Luis Urias, who now appears to be recovered from Covid and ready to play.
There is also a chance that Ryan Braun opts out for the rest of the season as well. Just last week Braun stated that he was “day to day” about whether to keep playing and that “there’s a real level of fear and anxiety for all of us.”
Braun’s Current Contract
Braun is currently on the final year of his 5 year extension contract, which has a mutual option for the 2021 season for $15 million. Braun has said in several interviews that because of the shortened 2020 season, he believes he will play at least another year.
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